Water Under the Bridge
by Kid Eternity
Summary: Life for Arthur and Molly seem normal enough, but "normal" can be a very relative term when it comes to reality.
1. Chapter 1

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Before going on to read the rest of this story, I would like to notify new readers that I have edited most; if not all, of the chapters in order to avoid errors and even the (shudders) dreaded MARY SUE.**

**I also strongly encourage past readers to re-read WUTB in order to get my point straight that this was _not_ a deliberate Mary Sue story because I was blind to the actual meaning.**

**I was able to read on it and my heart dropped 10,000 leagues under the Earth's crust and now I'm doing all I can in order to atone for my misdeeds.**

**However, when I took The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test, Molly was able to score a 20, so she's still in the green, but I did more editing and now she's even less of what you might consider a Sue. For those interested, Google it! ****I still have a lot of work cut out for me since this is the first story that I have ever subconsciously given the characters the Sue treatment (Accidental Sue).**

**I originally intended for this story to be light hearted and optimistic, but I guess things went to hell in a handbasket without me even noticing.**

**Thank you all for my readers and reviewers! Arthur belongs to Marc Brown and PBS, protected under copyright of law therefore I claim no ownership whatsoever. Now, on to the main event, enjoy!**

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Monday, September 9, 2012

Elwood City High School

A young woman of about 25 came out of the door of the building and was slowly making her way to the bus stop, dressed in a long sleeved shirt under a red sleeveless sweater with black trousers and black work shoes.

After a few minutes of waiting under the street light, she looked at her silver watch, it was already 8:47 and the bus still hadn't arrived. She waited a bit more until a light blue car came near.

It stopped in front of her, and the window soon opened revealing a man of about her age in the driver's seat wearing a red long-sleeved shirt and black trousers; a pair of coke-bottle glasses rested comfortably on the ridge of his nose.

The woman recognized him immediately and proceeded to enter the vehicle, "I was about to walk home, guess the bus is late tonight," she said,

The man stepped on the gas and resumed driving, "Well, I just got out of work, it sure was super lucky of me to drive by Molly,"

"Are you by any chance stalking me? Because I seriously doubt that this wasn't entirely coincidental Arthur," Molly said with a grin on her face.

"Yes, I am a stalker who is obsessed with his girlfriend and will pick her up along the way from work to drive her safely home and give her a goodnight kiss," Arthur chuckled at his sarcastic remark

Molly was about to reply with her own witty comment before her cellphone suddenly rang in her pocket.

Taking it out and looking at the caller ID, she sighed a bit before pressing the button, "Talk to me! Rattles, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to come over for a few beers, I'm…no…yeah, I'm with Arthur, Rattles says hi by the way, look I'm tired, and I really need to get home, catch ya later," Molly sighed and put her cell back into her pocket.

Arthur gave her a curious glance, "What's Rattles up to?' he said as he was moving along the parking lot of Molly's apartment building, "Oh you know, he just got back from work himself and now just wants to get drunk as a skunk" Molly said with a grin on her face,

"Since when has he been into drinking again?," Arthur asked nonchalantly, but Molly could sense the uneasiness in his voice, "Nothing personal Arthur, we've strictly gone under the bridge about that, and I _have_ told him to take it easy, besides, it's not like he and I will ever stop being friends over it,"

"Of course not, I know Rattles too, and if I recall he still attends that knitting circle right? I can't imagine the kind of crosses he'll make if he keeps hitting the sauce," Arthur said good-naturedly; Molly just laughed at that remark.

The car stopped in front of the building and Molly quickly got out of the car and after she closed the door, she gestured for Arthur to come closer with her finger in a subtly alluring way, which the Aardvark was just all too happy to comply, "Want me to escort you home again tomorrow?" he said before making contact with her lips, "Nah, I'll just take the bus, besides I might take up too much of your time," Molly replied after breaking away.

Arthur just shrugged, "I _do_ have time, and I can manage," he said before closing the window and driving away, with a smiling Molly waving goodbye.

Molly then entered the building and made her way to her room. When she was finally in front of her door, she took the key out from her purse before feeling a sharp pain from her rear end which greatly startled her, ""AH! What the he-…!"

She quickly turned around; ready to pound whoever did that, only to see a familiar face that quickly shifted her anger into surprised glee; the perpetrator was none other than one of her good friends Slink, "Slink? Wha-what are you doing here!?" she said as she embraced him.

Slink hadn't changed at all in appearance; he still sported his signature neck-length hair that covered his eyes, although he was already taller than Molly.

On his person he was sporting a black shirt under a white vest, blue jeans and sneakers, "Just passing by Moll! Heard from James this is where you crash now,"

Molly quickly gestured for him to come inside as she opened the door, "So how have you been? Haven't heard from you since you left for university," Molly said while hanging up her purse by the stand.

Slink quickly resigned himself to the couch, "Oh you know, I just graduated, thought I'd come back and make a few stops, already been to Binky's by the way," Slink said as he surveyed the room, and was slightly amazed by Molly's interior décor.

The room was surprisingly clean, and found that the place was modestly furnished, the sofa he was sitting on was made of black leather, while there was a bean bag at his right (Molly always liked them), in front of him was the TV which was resting on a wooden shelf riser; with the cable box just under it, followed by a rattan coffee table. A bed of daisies was positioned comfortably by the window that held a great view of the outside.

"I gotta say this is some place , how did you even manage it," Slink asked her.

Molly was already bringing two glasses of orange juice and setting them down by the table before replying, "Oh you know, I have a job, and I practically worked for most of the stuff I have now," Slink took a sip before giving a drawled "Nice!"

"So where are you off to Slink?" Molly asked after taking a huge sip, while Slink finished his in one long swig before turning to face her, "Been thinking of taking up a job at the local pharmaceutical company,"

"Oh yeah, you took up medicine right? So how was it?"

"Not as boring as one might think, it's pretty interesting if you have the heart for it. I'm just excited to get started, I already passed them my résumé and gave me the green light," he said as he was setting his glass down, "Well, I just wish you the best of luck on that Slink," she said in a congratulatory tone.

Molly then finished hers before taking Slink's and headed for the kitchen, "You hungry Slink? Because I have some great meat loaf left over in the fridge," the other man just hand waved her offer, "Nah, already had dinner, besides, I won't be here for long, just wanted to stop by and check up on you, and by the look of things, you're doing quite well. What _do_ you do anyway?"

Molly turned around slightly from the sink, "I work as a guidance counselor at Elwood City High," before continuing with soaping the glass in her hands.

Slink only laughed in disbelief, "No seriously, what do you do?" he waited for a response but was met with nothing but silence, this was enough to drive the message in, "Whoa, you are serious! Molly MacDonald? Helping troubled and bullied teenagers? Now this is the find of the century!" he said with evident humor,

"Hey, I grew up, and apparently so did you...mostly! You could even say…all of the Tough Customers grew up," she said with some pride in her voice.

Slink could only agree, "Yeah, well you always did give good advice, but those were some great times huh? Giving kids wedgies, hanging them upside-down for their lunch money, and beating the likes of…what was his name again? Oh that's right, Arthur! Man he was some four-eyed, dwee-!"

Slink stopped in mid-sentence when he spotted Molly giving him an ominous look, with her right hand on her hip, "That so-called "four-eyed dweeb" happens to be my boyfriend, if you didn't know!"

When the words came out of her mouth, Slink couldn't decide whether to laugh out loud, or roll around the floor in hysterics, "Okay, now Molly that is one joke just too funny for me to act out in this room for the sake of your neighbors, but again I must ask you; seriously?"

No reply…

She _was_ serious!

"Whoa, whe-when the hell did that happen?" Slink said with surprise,

"During my last year of university, we kinda hit it off from there," Molly said as she placed the two glasses back in the cabinet.

Slink just sat there in mild disbelief, the fact that Molly; his friend whom he had known for years and was part of the Tough Customers, was dating one of the kids they picked on at school.

"Come on Slink, it's not that impossible!" Molly said as she sat down next to him,

"Yeah well, it's not like you told anyone about it," Slink said while crossing his arms,

"I e-mailed about it to everyone when Arthur and I started dating, when was the last time you checked your inbox?" she said a bit irritatingly,

"Sorry, but some of us were kinda busy with studying, so anyway, what's the little dwe-I mean, what's Arthur like? You know, when we aren't messing with him," Slink said with a grin,

"He's great; I mean he's well adjusted, hardworking and an all-around nice guy. Oh, and last time we went to the beach, he booked us reservations to this really classy restaurant; what was the name again? Oh right, Blue Maverick, and we had a lobster dinner and everything, it was so romantic! " Molly had a dreamy look on her face as she described their exploits together,

Slink mentally stuck his tongue out in disgust. Despite being already an adult, Slink still retained some of his childish traits, but at least this time he was mature enough to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Wow, he sounds like a real Casanova,"

"Your sarcasm is duly noted, but honestly Slink, I'm happy with him," Molly said with confidence,

Slink couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, "Well, if he's treating you nice, then I don't mind; lucky him," Slink stretched his arms out and placed his right one around Molly's shoulders, something which she didn't mind, but only with mild discomfort,

"Don't get any ideas wise guy, I'm already taken!" Molly grinned at his friend before ribbing him,

"Heh, so what does Arthur do nowadays?" Slink asked with (genuine) curiosity,

Molly smiled at that question, "He's a pianist, and he gives lessons at the Rec Center. Oh, and he performs occasionally too,"

"Like in…concerts?"

"Yeah, and he's been teaching me how to play too, not that I'm getting any good at it. I just can't seem to get my fingers to coordinate that well," Molly giggled at her own remark while wiggling her fingers,

After a few more exchanges and one look at the clock, the two decided it was time to call it in, with Molly proceeding to escort Slink out to the door.

"It sure was great to see you again Slink and you be careful going home, alright?" Molly said patting him on the back and giving _him_ a slap on his behind as payback from earlier,

"Yeah well, it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon…and if you and Arthur ever decide to go grab some coffee let me know okay? I'd like to do some more catching up, and by that I mean I wanna give your beau a noogy for having the balls to date you," Slink said good-naturedly, which earned him a light push from the redhead.

_Several minutes later_...

While preparing for bed, Molly couldn't help but do a recap of today, "_Wow_, _it sure was great to see Slink again_, _it's been ages since I last saw him_, _but if I didn't know any better_, _I_'_d say he was being a little jealous of Arthur_. _Well_, _he_'_s a nice guy_; _I just hope he takes it easy on my _"_beau_" _when they _do _meet_! _Hmm, I think it_'_ll be nice to do some catching up on the old gang...that's it_! _I could arrange for a little reunion_, _maybe make a few calls and go to a nice place to party_…_of course I have to ask if Arthur would like to join in_, _I mean he was never a member but still_…_a Tough Customers reunion_; _that sounds good_!" she thought before setting down her hair brush, she looked at herself in the mirror and surveyed her appearance.

Outwardly, Molly had barely changed at all; save for being much older and sporting longer hair that reached all the way down to her shoulders, but still having her signature bangs that mostly covered her eyes. She was wearing navy blue pajamas that barely accentuated her figure.

Molly then slowly moved to her bed and turned off the lamp, with the bed covers having just been washed and the AC at just the right adjustment; she could tell that this was going to be a good night's sleep.

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**Well this is a one-shot from yours truly, and if I get a positive review I will continue. Don't flame me because of the pairing as I will explain why in this "parallel universe" (Yeah, let's go with that) Arthur did not end up with Francine and I'm not gonna focus on just these two because I will have other characters make appearances and stories as well. See ya!**

**Additionally, if some of you think that my story has Mary Sue tendencies, don't hesitate to give me a review. I won't care if it's bad and I won't blame you. This is possibly the longest story that I have ever made and I'm sticking to it till the end, and I'll try to keep my characters balanced.**


	2. Chapter 2

September 16, 2012

Molly was sitting casually in her office looking at the profiles of the students on whose cases she was handling.

Almost all of them had one thing in common; they were the school's resident social outcasts. She was bewildered how bullying had escalated over the past few years, not only was it sort of a norm nowadays, but it seemed that most of the faculty had been doing zilch in terms of actually defending the oppressed student body.

After having had her fill of bullying others herself, Molly decided it was time for a change of pace after she started college.

Having taken a course in Clinical Psychology, she later graduated and found a job at Elwood High, due to the previous counselor retiring. Of course, there were always (un)expected roadblocks along the way.

Still, some of the students warmed up to her within a year, and most of the turmoil that they had endured had eased down after she gave them some help.

After a while, Molly subsequently made friends of her own with the other faculty members, some of whom she recognized from her old days at Lakewood Elementary.

Looking back on a few memories, she couldn't help but wonder about what Slink said about her and Arthur.

_January 21, 2006_

Molly was sitting at a park bench, furiously typing away at her cellphone for what seemed like an hour to her. She was wearing a white shirt under a black jacket, blue jeans and black boots.

She had just recently learned one of the key factors in dating; keeping track of your own boyfriend, who had neglected to tell her that he was making out with another.

This would be a little more awkward if she hadn't actually seen them doing it; the only reaction was dead silence, as she was still busy trying to process the entire scenario through her head as the guy she was seeing was exchanging bodily fluids with a foreign third party, and after staring on in stunned disbelief, she simply walked away without the lovers noticing at all.

"I am so going to fucking kill Rattles for this!" she continued to type away at her cellphone as she was sure that he was still with the other girl.

Molly was just all too happy to try and remind him that he was already sharing an apartment with her, yet was at the very least, too ignorant about it at the moment.

After running out of credit, she finally stopped and returned her cell into her pocket. After a brief pause in thought, she proceeded to work out what could have gone wrong with the relationship, and it wasn't like she was the one to blame for it.

On the contrary, she might have been the only one of the two who had actually taken it seriously all the way; even suggesting that they move in together in one room in order to share the rent. All Rattles had for a reaction was an "Okay, cool!" and that was it, although Molly didn't mind at the time.

The fact that Rattles was always dense about it was enough to make her wonder if the man she was seeing, and whom she had known almost her entire life, at least had the drive to keep what they had going.

In the end however, that wasn't exactly enough for him as he obviously drove the point of not being a one-woman-man down hard.

Deciding it was best to just go to a quiet place in order to meditate rather than beat the ever living hell out of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, she went to the park to cool down and had stayed there for the rest of the afternoon watching people come and go at their leisure.

She envied some of the couples that walked by, who were; in all appearances, committed to one another, but being the cynical rabbit that she always was, she didn't give two cents about whether any of them would actually work out; hers was starting to look like it didn't

After a few more hours of moping and self-pity, she took a look at her watch and found that it was already 8:48 in the evening.

Feeling the cool night breeze, she shivered before standing up to go home to her apartment and wait until Rattles arrived, where she would give him an earful, if he ever did come back.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming her way.

Assuming it was just someone out for a night stroll; she didn't give much heed to it and continued walking. Once the footsteps were within earshot, she took a glance behind her only to see a familiar face; Arthur.

A bit surprised, she stopped and turned around to face him. Arthur was already in university himself, but only a year behind her.

He was wearing a black sweater, blue jeans and sneakers; walking casually down the pavement with his head down and his coke-bottle glasses barely visible in the darkness.

Quickly noticing Molly, he greeted her with the usual, "Hey Moll! What are you doing here this late?"

Molly was actually a bit relieved to see a familiar face, especially Arthur, who was more pleasant company compared to Rattles.

"Just having some time for myself, and to get a few bad thoughts out of my mind," she smiled at him.

Arthur smiled back, seeing Molly was actually a comfort for him considering what he had been through that day as well.

The two continued to walk along side each other for the rest of the night, talking about everything that was going on in their lives and after hearing out Molly's story, Arthur couldn't help but express his sympathy.

"Well Molly, you never really expected it to happen, but what matters right now is how you're going to deal with it, and if you still want Rattles in your life, you can just try and talk to him," Arthur said while putting his hand on her shoulder,

"I know what you're trying to say Arthur, but…I don't think it's ever going to work out with me and Rattles anymore. I mean don't get me wrong, he's a pretty decent guy if you've known him for as long as I have. It's just…the fact that I can't seem to trust him anymore is what bothers me. It's one of the main driving forces in a relationship Arthur; trust! It isn't something you can just squander away like that,"

Arthur listened closely to every word she said and understood, "I know Molly, but you really shouldn't go to any conclusions just yet. I mean, yeah Rattles was with another girl, but that doesn't mean you should dump him right then and there. You two have been together for a long time now, and like I said maybe if you talked things over and try to work out what flaws there might be then I'm sure you two could come to an understanding,"

As much as she wanted to deny it, she still did like Rattles, but her feelings for him were now compromised due to the infidelity she had just witnessed a few hours ago, and now all she wanted was to call it off between them to prevent any more feelings of resentment.

On the other hand, she could just give him hell first and be done with it; she smiled as the thought of that raced through her mind, "Okay Arthur, maybe I was just being a girl about it, so yeah, I'll work things out with Rattles, and thanks for the advice,"

"Any time,"

"By the way, what were you so mopey about tonight? You looked like your dog just died,"

"No, no, it's nothing like that, it's just…!" Arthur wasn't sure whether to tell Molly the reasons behind him being there or not, but considering he had just given her an amateur therapy session he might as well come clean too.

"Francine and I…broke up!" Arthur grinned and scratched the back of his neck,

"Whoa! Coincidence and thy name is Arthur! What the hell happened between you two!?" Molly was genuinely shocked about this news, which stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Well, there isn't much to tell, we were getting stagnant and…I guess we just lost the spark," Arthur heaved a sigh before he resumed walking.

"Arthur, Francine and you were like the perfect couple, not to mention the best of friends!" Molly said sympathetically,

"We are, and that's exactly why we ended it," Arthur said matter-of-factly,

"I'm not following; you mean you two just decided to stay as friends? How did that work out?" Molly was slightly puzzled,

"Well you see, Francine was recently scouted to be a competitor at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and naturally she accepted. She was going all crazy about preparing for it and I was being supportive, but after a while…we decided to call the whole thing off between us,"

"But that shouldn't be reason enough for you guys to break up, right?"

"Like I said, it wasn't going anywhere. There were already other signs, like being too busy with schoolwork, going on less dates and even forgetting to give each other presents on holidays!" the last one Arthur said jokingly, even though it was true.

"I'm sorry,"

…

"Don't be! Seriously Molly we're beginning to look like a bad soap opera, give it a rest!" he laughed good naturedly at her, which she took in stride and laughed along with him.

Molly looked at her watch again and her eyes widened a bit at the time; 11:20, "Holy crap! It's late, well I got to go! Still have to lay down the law on Rattles when I get back to my apartment. See you around Arthur?" she said while extending her hand to him,

"Anytime, and if you ever need somebody to talk to, I'm always here," which he took in kind,

"Got it!" and without even noticing or trying, they stayed that way for a few seconds; not paying attention to the time and just looking at each other with warm smiles on their faces. After that they broke apart and went their separate ways.

When Molly arrived home, she was surprised to see that Rattles was already there, and not just that, he was actually waiting for her. When she noticed his concern, she immediately dropped the urge to argue over his little moment of weakness, and she let the subject go.

However, this still didn't stop him from his affair; not that she was oblivious to it anymore.

Molly even tried to follow Arthur's advice and asked Rattles what she could do to make it more stimulating between them, while not letting him in on her awareness of his tomfoolery.

In the ensuing months that followed however, Molly and Arthur started seeing each other more and more often, to the point that they would regularly be seen on campus together, and although Arthur still hung out with his usual friends, being with Molly was completely different.

The evolution of the relationship however, didn't happen until the both of them began to notice that they were inadvertently pushing for it to go further, which caused this little incident to happen,

August 2, 2006

"Rattles, I need to talk to you for a moment," Molly said as she was sitting on the couch next to the boy, who was eating out of a bowl of popcorn while they were watching a movie,

"Sure Molly, lay it on me!" he said while gorging down a handful,

Molly took a deep breath and braced herself for whatever was about to happen, "I know you're cheating on me and I want to break up!"

When he heard her say it, he choked out what he was chewing and quickly turned to face her in complete shock.

"Wh-wha-Molly! What are you talking about?" Rattles stuttered nervously,

"Look Rats, just give it a rest already! I know what you've been doing behind my back and I just want to break it off because it's obviously not going anywhere,"

"W-we can work this out!"

"Your excuses would have a little more bite to them if I hadn't already lost faith in your faithfullness," Molly crossed her arms and stood up to walk away from him,

"Look baby! That was-this girl…she was just," Rattles followed suit after lowering the volume of the television and hysterically began to explain himself, but Molly wouldn't have any of it,

"And another thing, what made you think that that other girl wouldn't be affected by this too? You have a girlfriend Rattles; correction, you had a girlfriend but obviously you didn't give that much consideration and now this is happening?" Molly spat at him with her pent up frustration,

Rattles was beginning to get irritated, "Now listen here, you didn't think this wasn't stressful enough for me already? I had to endure all of the pressure of having to do school, attend my knitting circle and having to keep up with you and your fucking needs, but apparently they weren't enough! So I decided to get a break with somebody else, at least she wasn't asking for too much," this quickly earned him a punch to the face,

"Don't talk to me about stress! I practically had to deal with the thought of you getting it on with that "someone else" because I assumed that if I was being a better girlfriend, then you'd stay with me, but apparently that isn't the case with you anymore is it?"

"Well aren't we being hypocritical, what about you and Arthur?"

"You leave him out of this!"

"Don't think I didn't notice it babe, but I know that he and you have been doing it behind my back too, so don't talk to me about being unfaithful!"

"**_You were cheating on me first_**!" Molly gritted her teeth at him,

"Well it doesn't matter who did who first, because what matters now is that you're being a total bitch about it!"

Molly clenched her fist tightly as she was ready to administer another one to his face, but relented upon processing his words.

"Alright, I admit it, I've been seeing Arthur, but it wasn't like this wasn't going to happen eventually, and I just…well I guess I just found what I was missing from you in another guy!"

When Rattles heard this, he couldn't help but feel a sharp ache of jealousy, "So I guess that's it! You seriously want to break up!?"

Molly bent her head down and just stared at the ground before replying, "You know, Arthur actually gave me some really good advice to help keep us going, but I guess it just wasn't enough!"

"What else did he give you, a hug and a kiss? I bet he was really "comforting" for you in your time of nee-!" Molly punched him again before he could finish.

A few weeks later after not speaking to each other, Molly and Rattles decided to officially end it, but agreed to still live together as roommates and salvage their friendship.

A day after that, Molly was finally free to do what she wanted, and the first thing she had in mind, was to go and see a certain aardvark.

August 19, 2006

Molly awoke at the sound of her alarm, which she turned off after letting it prolong for a few minutes; the time was 5:48 in the morning. She then stared blankly at the ceiling, deep in thought as she was trying to make sense of everything that had just happened to her in the past few weeks.

Turning her head to the drawer, she saw her cellphone resting next to the lamp. She slowly reached out to it, but not before glancing at a sleeping Rattles on his bed, "He can sleep through anything!" she thought and smiled at him.

Holding the mobile device in her hand, she played with it before wondering what to do next, "_Should I call him_?" she was fighting with herself on the matter, "_Call him or not_?!" and after wondering about it a bit longer, "_Aw_, _what the hell_!"

She found Arthur's contact number and proceeded to press the call button. It ringed several times before a voice resounded on the other line, "Hello?"

"Hello Arthur, it's me Molly!"

"Molly, what…why are you calling so early?"

"Rattles and I broke up, I just want to talk to you about it, are you busy today?"

"No why?"

"Meet me at the park later, I have something very important to tell you. Be there, or get ready to enter a world of pain!" she said with a grin on her face,

"(Sigh) Okay…see you later," Arthur pressed hang-up and smiled at her last remark before going back to sleep, but not before the realization of the situation hit him and his eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Later that day…

When both of them arrived at the park, it was a particularly cloudy and cold day, and there was a good chance that it would rain, still, the pair didn't seem to mind at all.

Arthur was wearing a brown jacket over a cream shirt, with black jeans and sneakers. Molly on the other hand, was wearing a black jacket over a black shirt, blue jeans and black boots.

They sat comfortably together at a bench in silence before Arthur broke the ice, "So…it's over between you two huh?" he said dejectedly.

"Yeah, and don't blame yourself over it okay? It was my decision and mine alone," Molly assured him,

"Heh, but I just can't help feeling a little responsible for it," Arthur moved his hands inside his pockets,

"Arthur, I'm going to say this again, I don't blame you, and neither should you blame yourself over it because all you did was help me open my eyes to something that was already there and wasn't. Rattles and I were okay with dating at first, but it wasn't exactly what we wanted all along and I guess things just started to fall apart,"

"Molly, I don't think it would be too ethical for me to take advantage of the situation, but I just have to be honest…these past few weeks with you after Francine…well they were great, but…I'm not going to lie that I'm not uncomfortable with this, and I don't think this is ever going to work out between us,"

Molly listened intently and thought carefully to herself, she wasn't entirely sure if pursuing a romance with him was going to be a good idea either, but judging from all of the things they've been through up to that moment, she really wouldn't mind if they started and see where it would take them in the long run.

"You're right Arthur, but these past few weeks being around you, it's like whenever I; this is going to sound a little crazy, but whenever I used to look at Rattles or when we were doing some…_stuff_, it was always you I was thinking about. I can't help feeling this way anymore,"

Arthur was a little surprised by this, as he had also felt the same way about her whenever he was with Francine (platonically now of course) and whether he would be alone or talking with his friends, Molly was always at the back of his mind and he just couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

"So, are we like…going out now?" Arthur said awkwardly,

"I-I guess so, but like I said, I'm willing to try this out and see where it leads us. I mean, after that little fight I had with Rattles, I don't think he and I will ever get it on again,"

"But you're still friends right?"

"Yup!"

"Good…good, cuz' I don't think I could bear that on my conscience too, but Molly I have a question, and please don't kill me for asking this but, did you…really love Rattles?"

Hearing the question, Molly just stared stoically at Arthur for a moment before answering, "I'm not sure…I mean we've always liked each other, and we've been friends for almost our entire lives, so I guess I did. One day he just asked me out and that was it. I mean we wouldn't have even been doing it if there wasn't anything there between us, right? "

"I guess so," Arthur agreed,

"But…I suppose deep down, Rattles really was just a good friend to me," Molly's tone was even lower than before, she couldn't help but feel the guilt over what she had done, even though it was somewhat justifiable.

A loud crack of thunder emanated from the sky as the first droplets of rain were beginning to descend upon them. Neither one had the urge to seek cover however, and they continued to just sit there, allowing a light shower to overtake them.

A few minutes later on, it came down stronger, making the surrounding area too blurry to even see clearly.

It didn't take long for the wind to follow as well, and this was enough to make Arthur stand up, "Molly, I think we should find a place to get out of the rain!" he said as loud as he could as his voice was being drowned out by the downpour.

Molly didn't respond, she was just sitting there staring into space, "Molly, come on!" he insisted, but still no response.

"Damn it, Molly y-!"

"Arthur do you love me?" Molly asked him abruptly,

"What?" Arthur asked, bewildered by what he had just heard,

"I said do you love me? Well, do you?" Molly repeated her question as she stood up, this time more loudly.

"What the-Molly, you're asking about that now? It's raining cats and dogs!"

"Yeah, well I might never have this chance again! Yes, I admit that I did have feelings for Rattles, but I'm pretty sure they were nowhere near as how I feel about you now!"

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that formalities aside, I guess if we really are going to start dating, it might as well kick off with a bang!" and just as she said the last part, thunder cracked again, but the two of them barely gave notice to it.

…

"Pretty sure!?" Arthur asked loudly with a smile on his face,

"Absolutely sure!" Molly replied with an equally warm one,

"Molly I…I'm wondering about that now myself, and if we did start seeing each other that way, I guess it couldn't hurt!"

"So does that mean?"

"Yes Molly, I LOVE YOU!" Arthur said loudly as he could, as thunder cracked again,

This prompted the both of them to go in for a kiss, and despite being pelted heavily, this didn't deter the passion they were experiencing at that very moment by the slightest.

Breaking away for air, they stared at each other for a few moments before proceeding to dance and play along in the rain, laughing and enjoying their new found love for each other.

Present…

Molly's cellphone suddenly rang in her pocket; she picked it up and pressed the button, "Hey babe…yeah I'm free later. Sounds great…meet you there. Oh, and Arthur…love you!" a warm smile was on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

September 26, 2012

Arthur was rummaging through various sheets of paper, trying to find his latest composition in hopes of playing it for his students at the Rec Center.

Incensed at the futility of the task, he grunted in frustration before pushing himself away from the table and doing a 180° on his swivel chair.

He massaged the bridge of his nose and sat there for a while before heading for the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and scanned its contents in hopes of finding something that could calm his nerves.

Immediately spotting a can of Budweiser, he casually took it out and tossed it to a nearby bean bag, which landed comfortably in the center.

Mentally praising himself, he slowly walked towards the living room before the phone suddenly rang. He grumbled a bit before picking up the receiver, "Hello?"

"_Hey there Artie old pal_! _What are ya' doing with your life right now_?" a familiar voice loudly made its way to Arthur's already tired ears.

"Buster? Why the sudden call? I thought you were in the Savanna taking photos," Arthur said halfheartedly,

"_Just been takin' a break from the ol' prairie and thought I catch up with the other side of the world_!" Buster was talking in his usual laid-back self, despite being a professional nature photographer.

Arthur was at least glad that it was Buster, since the only form of communication they had bared with were e-mails and postcards, but hearing each other's voices again was like a breath of fresh air.

"Sorry for not being up-to-speed lately B, but I'm in some deep shit; literally. I've been trying to get to my new piece for hours and I can't seem to find it!" Arthur's frustration was acting up again in his voice,

"_Hey, is the Mozart getting all rackety again_? _Don't rile yourself up over something like that_! _Take me for example, whenever I lose a couple of photos, I just let it slide; even if I'm at a deadline, and I usually find them under a couple of old pizza boxes or something and there you go_!" a faint sound of chewing could be made out behind Buster's voice,

"Well, my room's been getting all cluttered since losing track of all the new pieces I've been writing; it's like a storm just went through here and brought out something fierce. Maybe I should get to spring cleaning earlier than usual,"

"_There you go_!_ Get a broom and a vacuum cleaner and go all dustinator on those bad boys_!" Buster said having just swallowed what he was eating,

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at his friend's comment "Ha! Dustinator, good one B! Well, thanks for calling by the way, but I gotta go! The other problem I have right now is that I promised Molly a home cooked meal tonight,"

Buster wolf whistled, "_Oh…trying to get the mood on straight for your little honey bunny huh_!?_ I get ya'!_"

"Try not to make yourself sound like a total pervert Buster, it's demeaning!" Arthur said with an air of dignity,

"_Absolutely William F. Buckley, I'll let you know when I come to town, later_!"

"Yeah, later B! Peace out!" Arthur said before hearing the other line go dead,

"_Hope to see you soon man_!" the aardvark thought, giving his blessing to his friend for a safe trip.

_Later_…

With broom in hand, Arthur scanned his entire living room and saw the mess of papers on the floor. His remark towards Buster regarding the matter was not a mere exaggeration.

"Where do I start?" Arthur asked himself before running the broom through the pile in front of him.

The cleaning had taken much longer than Arthur had anticipated; it was already a quarter to four before he finished with the living room.

In fact, Arthur had grossly underestimated his talent of leaving a mess; emphasis on "grossly", since his entire room was littered with garbage and some discarded sheets of failed compositions.

"What do I tell Molly?" he was imagining Molly crossing her arms and just staring at him with a look that said, "_What have you been doing here_!?"

He smiled at the image, as she was in the dress that she wore on their last date, which made her drop dead gorgeous.

Her hair was carefully placed into a neat bun, which revealed her beautiful black eyes. The cerulean blue spaghetti strapped dress fitted her figure nicely and revealed her curves, which was finalized by black high-heeled sandals.

"_That was some night_!" Arthur daydreamed as the memory of it was forever etched into his mind.

Snapping back into reality, he immediately went back to work and made a break for the kitchen to take out a fresh garbage bag out of the cupboard.

He quickly gathered all of the remaining debris in his apartment and hurriedly dumped it outside of the building.

With equal haste, he jumped into the shower and washed off all of the dirt left behind on his body. He then proceeded to groom himself thoroughly for the night of all nights where he would treat his girlfriend to a heartily prepared meal.

…

"THE FOOD!" Arthur was struck with a sudden jolt of realization, as he had just remembered the most important part of such a special occasion.

His determination not waning by the least, he quickly bolted to his car after putting on a fresh change of clothes and drove like a madman down at the grocery store.

_A few hours later_…

Arthur quickly made his way up to his apartment with fresh groceries on each arm, praying that Molly was still at work.

He then looked at his watch and was relieved to see that it was still 6:48, "_Oh thank God, plenty of time_!"

_Later_…

Arthur and Molly were preparing to wash the dishes after having just finished clearing the table, "That was some dinner Arthur, I swear your dad would have flipped if he had tried it himself," Molly complimented before kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks babe, and I really appreciated that you waited for me preparing it for you! After today, I'm going to take the phrase "patience is a virtue" straight to heart," Arthur's voice had a hint of aggravation to it, but was otherwise overtaken by a humorous tone.

"I suppose it _is_ better to eat a meal freshly made, especially if it's with someone…special," Molly looked suggestively at Arthur before turning back to the plate she was drying.

"Buster called a few hours ago by the way," Arthur said after having just finished rinsing the last one and handing it to her,

"Really? How's old long-ears anyway?" Molly said while drying it,

"Pretty good actually, and still doing one heck of job at the Savanna," Arthur said while removing his apron and taking Molly's, then hanging them by a hook next to the sink.

The pair then casually walked to the living room and turned on the TV to watch a movie, "Oh sweet, The Dark Bunny Returns!" Molly said enthusiastically,

"Thought you'd like it, have a seat!" Arthur motioned for her to sit on the bean bag,

"Don't mind if I do…ow!" Molly felt something hard below her when she hit the bag, looking down; she quickly dug a hand into the cushion and procured a can of Budweiser, but it was no longer cold.

"Arthur?" Molly said while holding it out for her boyfriend to see,

"He-he…I-uh…I can explain babe!"


	4. Chapter 4

_September 28, 2012_

Molly was pacing back and forth in her room, holding the phone against her ear and patiently waiting for someone to pick up on the other end, "_Binky's got to be home_!" she thought impatiently.

After a few more minutes of ringing, a voice with a deep, yet somewhat mild-mannered tone finally answered, "_Hello_?"

"Binky? It's me Molly! Listen, if you're not too busy, I'd like a moment of your time to discuss something!"

"_No, not at all Moll_! _I always have time to talk to friends,_"

"Good, because I've been thinking about this for a long time now, and I was wondering if it would be alright to invite you to a special gathering that I'm arranging,"

"_What kind are we talking about_?"

"A reunion for the Tough Customers,"

There was a moment of hesitation before Binky replied, "_Hm_, _I could attend Molly, but I do have other plans_,"

"No problem Binks, I'll just put it at a later date that's more suitable, and the others won't mind as long as it's you," Molly said casually,

"_Well, to be quite honest Molly, I have been tinkering with that idea myself, and on another note I guess I could just get over mine for this one_,"

"But, I might be holding you from something important!"

"_Do you call spending the night in my house eating popcorn over a movie better than what you're proposing_?"

Molly couldn't help but laugh at that, "Binky, you better get your ass off your couch and live a little; because I promise you will _not_ forget this!"

"_I hope not_, _because the last party I attended was a total bust, and to top it all off it was my cousin's_!"

"That bad?"

"_Let's just say after everyone had their fill of his incredibly lame jokes, shit-ass entertainment, and lousy food, I was sure that someone was going to commit suicide or at least stitch his mouth shut_!_Good God, Molly, I wish you were there to see it_!"

"O-kay, I take it that that's a yes for the reunion then?"

"_Yup_, _I'll settle for anything to get 12 hours of my life back from _that _hell hole_!"

"Great, the date will be December 29, 5:00 in the afternoon at the Diamond Scale Hotel!"

"_Isn't that a bit too classy_?"

"Relax, I can afford it!"

"_Well okay then Molly, just call me if anything else comes up_,_okay_?" Binky said nonchalantly,

"No problem Binky, oh and feel free to invite anyone you like to go along for the ride, I'm bringing Arthur with me,"

"_Will do_, _Binky out_!" and with that, the line went dead,

After replacing the receiver, Molly proceeded to review the numbers in her iPhone to check and see the ones that she had already called, making sure that nobody was left out, "Let's see, I called Rattles, Slink, Kieper, Billy, and now Binky. That seems to be everyone," she said as she went through additional numbers of the rest of the TCs, not counting the ones who either backed out or couldn't attend because of other matters.

"Well, that's it! Better go to Arthur's and head straight to the hotel," and with that, she packed what she needed in her purse and left to pick up Arthur.

As she was walking by the sidewalk, she couldn't help but wonder a bit why she and Arthur just didn't move in together. It would make more sense, seeing as how that they've been a pretty committed couple for the last 6 years.

In fact, they had thought and discussed about the topic from time to time, even before they settled into the ones they had now. However, she quickly reminded herself of the reasons why it was still an open option.

_4 years ago_

Arthur was holding Molly's hand tenderly while they were walking in the park in the cool of a Saturday morning. It had already been a year since Arthur graduated from college, and he was still looking for a place to live in, a task which proved easier said than done.

He had previously bunked in with his best friend Buster, but left after the latter was planning on going abroad to take pictures in the Caribbean. After which he went back to his parents' house, making it his residence for the time being.

Finding a cozy spot at a nearby lake, they sat under the shade of a big tree to relax; Molly laid her head on Arthur's shoulder, while the aardvark put his hand behind his head to rest against.

After a few minutes of silence, Molly was the first to speak, "So how's the hunt going babe? Still having a hard time?"

"Yeah, but I've already listed a few potentials. What I'm basically looking for is an apartment where the rent's at least on the affordable scale,"

"Well…why not live with me? I mean, I don't mind us being together under one roof," Molly held his hand and squeezed it lightly,

"Well, I sure wouldn't mind that, but there are a few issues that I have against the idea,"

Molly suddenly straightened herself up and looked at him, "Oh? Like what?"

"Like the fact that I don't want to jeopardize our relationship. I mean, I just can't trust myself living with you and not be a burden!"

Molly looked down for a second before replying, "You're not a burden to me Arthur! In fact, you're the best guy I've ever been with, and that's something I'm grateful for,"

"I know, but I just don't think it would be right for us to jump the shark. I've heard it before, remember Lorenz Heatherfelt?"

"That guy on the university soccer team, what about him?"

"Heard he knocked up his girlfriend and got her pregnant a few months ago, and they were living together in the same place too. After that…I can't even put into words what happened to them!"

"How'd you know about that?" Molly asked bewilderingly,

"Believe it or not Molly, I have a network of information that gives me info on all kinds of dirt, which I am not obligated to elaborate on for now,"

"What? Come on, for real?" Molly was a bit lost for words to believe what she had just heard, and a wide grin spread across her face in amusement,

"Your skepticism is duly noted, but seriously, those two had it well when they were still in college. After graduation, it went downhill from there because they rushed things. They ended up losing control and now they're paying for it, and the only clue I'm giving you is that his parents don't even want him showing his face to them anymore!"

"Arthur, can you really imagine us like that? I mean we're not exactly strangers to romance but we're not rushing it, are we?"

Arthur nodded in agreement, "We're being careful, and I like to keep it that way for the time being, only until we get our priorities straight and secure enough so that we won't have any shortcomings when the time comes,"

"When what time comes, Arthur?" Molly said suggestively, flashing him a coy smile,

"Don't get any ideas you rascally rabbit you!" Arthur grabbed her by the waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, so I'm a rascal now? Why don't you stop trying to turn me on? Although...you are on to something babe, and it does make a lot of sense, I mean it would be a lot more practical if we lived on our own first. Not to mention we'd have plenty of space to work things out, you know, before we finally go to the next phase,"

"And we could still see each other, I mean it's not like we're going to different states or breaking up. I don't want to break up Molly, and who knows, this might even help build us up!" his voice was laced with optimism, which Molly readily accepted.

This was just one of the factors in their relationship that they loved about one another; they were willing to agree on each other's decision so long as it was mutually beneficial for both of them.

They had stayed like that for what seemed like hours before standing up to leave and go back to each other's homes.

_Present_

Molly had just gotten to the apartment building Arthur was staying in only to see him outside waiting for her. As she came closer, he quickly spotted and ran towards her, "Hey Molly, you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, sorry I had to drag you into this!" she apologized before walking on,

"And miss you playing party liaison, no way!"

This quickly earned him a light punch on the shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

December 29, 2012

_4:37 p.m._

Everything was going without a hitch, as Molly had just placed the last of the hors d'oeuvres on the table. The Entertainment System was already set and ready to go, while the complimentary gift bags were arranged neatly by the door. All that was missing were the guests, and Molly was sure that it wouldn't be long before they arrived.

Arthur was just finishing hanging up the banner that read, "Tough Customers Reunion 2012".

After stapling it all in place, he suddenly felt a pair of arms circling around his waist and tightened into a hug upon descending the ladder, "Looks great huh?" Molly's enthusiasm was evident in her voice.

"Yeah, and everything's a-okay on your side, right?" he glanced across the room and saw that the buffet was already primed with an assortment of dishes. Arthur turned to face Molly and placed his hands on her waist, "I still can't believe you were able to get this lounge room, must have burned a hole right through your wallet,"

"Not really, I just used my credit card, and at my salary I'll probably foot it in a year or two, but hey, while everybody's not here yet...!" Arthur knew all too well what was going through his girlfriends mind at that moment as she was looking at him in a rather seductive manner, and his compliance was more than appreciated.

Their arms tightened as they shared their first kiss of the day. Passionate as it was alleviating, their minds went blank as the stress was starting to fade away.

Having waited almost three months for this occasion to happen and preparing for it was aggravating enough without having to worry about other affairs, but seeing as how all of their hard work was about to be rewarded that night, it made their tender moment all the more satisfying.

They stayed like that for about 5 minutes before hearing a knock at the door. They slowly broke apart and caught their breath before straightening themselves out.

Immediately heading to open it, they were met ecstatically by familiar faces, "Binky, George, Billy, Slink, thank you for coming and advance Happy New Year, get in and let's get this party started, the drinks Arthur!" Molly motioned for everyone to come inside as Arthur passed each of them their own glass of champagne.

Molly quickly got hold of the remote to the sound system and set it to the song "Sleep Away" by Bob Acri, which only complimented the atmosphere.

_5:14 p.m._

All of the guests went to sit down on their respective seats, while Arthur checked to see if there were more arriving. Molly went around to make sure they were all set and relaxed, "If you guys need anything else, just let me know okay?"

"No need Moll, if we're hungry we'll just shovel whatever we can get from the buffet table into our mouths!" Binky said humorously.

Molly smiled before proceeding to check on Arthur, "See anyone babe?" she asked as she looked out of the door. "Not yet, so how's everyone inside?"

"Fine, just a few more and we'll be all set...wait, is that who I think it is?" Molly could see two figures exiting the elevator and were slowly walking right towards them.

"It is! Rattles and Fern, over here!" she waved at them to let them know which room to go to.

Rattles was the tallest out of the pair; well built and intimidating, you wouldn't guess that the man was an art school teacher. While Fern Walters was a moderately tall and fair young woman who was still in law school.

"Hey you guys, Happy New Year in advance!" Rattles said while handing Molly a gift-wrapped box. She pecked him on the cheek before escorting them inside, where they were met with greetings and raised glasses.

"Binky, I see you're still uncomfortable in a suit," Rattles said while patting his friend on the shoulder, as the latter was wearing a blue polo shirt and gray jeans. The man in turn stood up to give him a bear hug which Rattles returned in kind, having not seen each other in quite a while.

Arthur had just helped Fern with her coat and briefcase before pointing her to the platter of champagne and giving her a glass. It was at this point that they started to catch up on one another, "So how are your studies going Fern?"

"It's been going alright I suppose, but I'll be needing to complete another year before getting my license," she replied before taking a sip.

"Must be hard," Arthur said inquisitively, "You bet it's hard, and unless you're motivated you wouldn't last a semester before finally dropping out," she took another sip before she continued, "But enough about me for the time being, what I would like to focus on right now is you and Molly!"

"Huh? Well...what do you want to know?" Arthur said a little awkwardly,

"Just wondering if you two are planning something extra special in the near future," giving him a coy look while glancing at his right hand.

Arthur quickly noticed and raised it to show her his ring finger, "Yeah, we're engaged but-,"

"Eee, so when's the wedding? Are you two going for a garden or a church? Will it be a big wedding...?" Fern bombarded him with question after question, leaving almost no room for him to reply.

It was obvious the alcohol was starting to take it's effect; Fern was never really known for her tolerance.

Finally, Arthur was able to seize an opening, "Listen Fern, calm down! Look I know Molly and I are engaged, but we're leaving the marriage plans for another time. It was stressful enough to plan this, let alone a wedding?" Arthur said while calming his friend down.

"Oh...sorry, I guess I was...just getting a little bit excited," Fern said while grinning at him,

"_A little bit would be an understatement_," Arthur thought before seating her on the couch next to her boyfriend.

_7:39 p.m._

The party was going well into the night as more and more guests arrived. They ate, danced and reminisced about old times, all the while enjoying the occasion as if there was no tomorrow.

Arthur went to Molly's side as she was leaning by the window while holding her glass cross armed, "So babe, is this everything you imagined?" Arthur said while extending his arm a little to the scene.

Molly paused for a bit to look and grinned, "Maybe!" she said before taking a sip, "Maybe? You practically dragged everyone here out of their warm homes in the dead of winter just to spend the night before the coming new year to have a good time and all you can say is _maybe_?" Arthur said while circling his arm around her waist.

"So what _should_ I say Arthur?" she looked right into his eyes expecting him to make a witty comeback, only to be surprised by a small peck on the lips. As if to one him over, she lured him in for a whisper, "_I know you were able to rent a room for us to spend the rest of the night in just so you know, and I'm wearing the black one tonight, nice surprise by the way_!"

Arthur's eyes almost popped out when he heard this, having made sure to save their little get together later to be a surprise. The rest of his train of thought was cut off by the sound of a rather drunk Fern lying on the couch, voicing out some rather...colorful and interesting topics that would warrant parents to cover their children's ears, while Rattles was busy cradling her head on his lap trying to calm her down.

Arthur gave out a small laugh before turning his attention back to his girlfriend who had just finished with her drink and was apparently now tipsy herself, "How many of those have you had?" Arthur said a bit worried,

"Three, but that doesn't mean I'm out! If anything, I'd be happy to give you your money's worth for the trouble you took planning behind my back,"

Arthur pulled on his collar and grinned, "Something tells me I'll be the one with the hangover tomorrow morning, aren't I?"

"Yup!"

**This is the latest chapter that I was saving for this month. Sorry I updated so long, but because of writer's block and other obligations at home I wasn't able to think clearly for a next chapter.**

**Just to point out something in this story, Fern was the "other girl" that Molly was talking about in Chapter 2. I did not reveal her identity because I was saving her for this page.**

**Well I hope you guys liked it. I'm going to leave this story open depending on reviews if you ever want to read more. I still have some ideas but I originally intended for this to be the final chapter. Thank you all for the support and Happy New Year!**


	6. Chapter 6

December 30, 2012

The morning after the party, Molly and Arthur were sleeping serenely in their hotel room, a sliver of light entered through the barely curtained window. Molly stirred in Arthur's arms as she was close to awakening.

Reflexively, he released her from his embrace as she laid on her back and stretched; letting out a yawn as she opened her eyes to survey her surroundings. Turning to face her lover she moved in closer to give him a peck on the cheek as he was still slumbering peacefully, before proceeding to get out of bed.

Seeing the strewed clothes on the floor made her recollect the events of the previous night after the reunion, which caused her to grin widely in audacity before stooping down to pick up her dress and undergarments.

Suddenly a thought came to mind, she glanced at Arthur before neatly folding her clothes on a nearby chair. Closing the gap between the curtains, she moved to sit beside her partner with anticipation.

Gently stroking his head, she whispered into his ear ever so carefully, "Mornin' love..." after which she pecked his cheek again, and this time it caused him to stir and open his eyes a little.

"You awake?" she said gently, as her hand moved down to caress his cheek,

"Yeah...are you?" she smiled a little at the remark as she straightened herself up,

"You could say that,"

"Better cover yourself up, you might attract some unwanted attention," noticing that she had nothing on,

"Is _your_ attention unwanted?" she moved her head in closer to give him a kiss, and this time it was on the lips, and a rather short one at that.

After breaking away, Arthur sat up and looked at the clock and saw that it was already 8:49. He rubbed his head as he tried to remember everything that happened that night, and he blushed slightly at the thought.

"Did we...really do it last night?" Arthur asked a bit flustered,

"It's not exactly the first time, but yeah!" Molly smiled widely,

"That's not what I meant...this is actually the first time we did it without...you know,"

"I wouldn't worry about that, I mean at least you were really enthusiastic about it," she laughed a bit as she realized what he meant.

"Come on, considering that you were the one that convinced me, I got lost at the moment and...well," he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, given how awkward the situation was getting.

Molly giggled a little, amused at how the recent events were affecting him. Arthur was always sensitive when it came to matters of a deeper relationship between them, but perhaps that was just anxiety and hesitation getting the best of him. If anything, at least they made an effort of being mutually supportive of each other's decisions. She looked at the ring on her finger and recalled how Arthur proposed to her; completely out of the blue as it was, she was happy nonetheless.

"Well it was...different. Looks like you went all out last night," she said as she ringed her arms around his.

"Well...at least we finally tore down _those_ boundaries," he said while moving back to lean on the headboard, "Shouldn't you really need to cover up Molly? I mean I know it's only us here...but..."

"What's the matter? Afraid I'll push some buttons?" she said mischievously as she rested her head on his shoulder,

"I think you wore out my buttons already!" Arthur gestured below him,

"Then what's the matter?,"

"It's just that, I'm a little concerned right now on what this is going to mean for us. First it was the marriage proposal and now this, and don't get me wrong Molly, it took me weeks to plan for that, but it's like _we_'_re_ the ones rushing things now, and you know how I feel about relationships like that,"

"All this time I've been trying to keep us together, trying to protect what we have from the things most likely to ruin it, and believe me when I say this that I've seen a lot of it happen in real life. Like when me and Buster went out to grab a drink that one time, we saw a guy and his girlfriend get into a scuffle because apparently, she found out that he was having an affair with a man; who was married by the way, and that's not even the worst part" stopping in his thoughts for a moment, he realized what he was doing and glanced at Molly who was just staring into space as if waiting for him to have an epiphany, "you know what, never mind," he said before using his free hand to cup her cheek and draw her in for a kiss again, only this one was longer and more passionate, which she obliged to wholeheartedly.

They broke away as they laid back down on the bed, catching their breath as they just stared at one another, "You done with your little breakdown there?"

"Yeah, sorry about that,"

"Knowing you, it took you a lot longer to come back to reality this time, never mind the fact that we might mess this up in the future, but I just want you to know Arthur, whatever happens; and I mean it when I say this, whatever happens...I'll never stop loving you,"

…

"Likewise...!"

Their fingers intertwined as they remained that way for the rest of the morning, only to fix everything up before lunch and leave the hotel.

...

A few weeks later, Molly found out that she was pregnant.


	7. Chapter 7

_January 5, 2013_

Molly opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm, which she then slammed hard to turn off after expressing her annoyance at the rather rude (and early) awakening, "_Gotta remember to set this thing right_," she thought to herself and continued to get out of bed, only to fall back down from a sudden sense of nausea.

Holding her head and stomach, she let out a dull groan as she tried ever so desperately to stand up.

Quickly drawing enough strength, she stammered her way to the bathroom only to move straight to the toilet to vomit.

After letting out the contents of her stomach, she struggled to stand up again to examine herself at the mirror.

Once her vision cleared she went slightly aghast at the sight; her hair was highly unkempt, she had light bags under her eyes and she was much paler than usual. Sticking her tongue out to examine it, she opened the tap and scooped a handful of water to gargle.

Then, opening the medicine cabinet, she quickly took out a tube of toothpaste and her toothbrush. Despite still feeling a bit dizzy, she went about the rest of her daily rituals with barely any trouble and proceeded to go to work.

_Elwood City High_

Molly stood by the window of her office while sipping a fresh cup of coffee, wearing a red blazer over a black shirt, gray trousers and black high-heels. While she usually didn't enjoy wearing feminine clothes, today she felt lenient enough to try the ones her mother gave her.

She looked at the wall clock above her desk and saw that it was already 8:00 am, still plenty of time to enjoy herself before the real work arrived, only to hear a sudden knock from the door.

"It's open!" she called out,

The door opened to reveal a tall woman who was pushing it from behind as her hands were carrying a big stack of papers.

She was a jack russel terrier with shoulder length brown hair, emerald green eyes, and a gentle face.

Wearing a black sweater, white jeans and brown high-heels, one could easily assume her for someone of a mild-mannered demeanor, "Hey Molly, just wanted to drop these babies here for you to sort out, a lot of new students planning to enroll this year and the school wants them profiled asap,"

"No problem Claudia, just leave it there on the desk," Molly gestured to her before taking another sip from her cup,

"Okay here we-whoa! Molly, what the? Y-you look great!" Claudia stuttered out, as she was surprised by Molly's new look, who turned around and choked a bit at the other woman's compliment,

"It's just something my mother got me last Christmas," Molly said apathetically,

Claudia crossed her arms and continued to examine her, "Are you kidding me? I hardly remember you wearing anything remotely feminine, just gender neutrals, like that grey waistcoat you wore last month over the shirt with the folded up sleeves, along with the trousers,"

"I was just curious on what it would feel like,"

"With a _fedora_!?" Claudia said indignantly, "I almost thought you were a guy!"

"Yeah, that sure got you going huh? At the time, I thought it would be hilarious," she said calmly, while holding back a smile,

"I still haven't forgiven you for _laughing at my face_ for it! So how was your holiday? Did you do anything _interesting_?" Claudia said as she sat herself casually at Molly's desk.

"Just been spending it with friends, that's all," she replied without raising her head,

"Aw, and I thought you went off and got yourself a man...or a woman!" she continued to tease,

"For the last time Claud, I have a boyfriend and no, I'm not a lesbian," Molly glanced up a bit this time,

"You know you could just be in denial," she leaned in a bit closer and propped her head up with her hand,

"I'm working Claudia," Molly said in a matter-of-fact tone, only to continue with, "...and pregnant!"

This quickly broke the other woman from her position, as her head quickly landed chin first on a small stack of folders containing the papers Molly had already read through, "No way! For real! You just shitting me or are you really carrying extra baggage?" she said excitedly,

"I shit you not, I am currently with child and that's all you're ever getting out of me sister," Molly grinned as she was putting another paper into a folder,

"So how and when did you get knocked up? Tell me! Oh good Lord tell me!" she said as she jumped off the table,

"Jesus Claudia, don't you have anything better to do than gossip?" Molly was starting to get ticked,

"I'm just happy for you! It's not everyday that you find out a friend of yours is pregnant," she said as she took several folders to align them in the filing cabinet near Molly's desk.

"Try me!" Molly said sternly,

As much as it annoyed Molly whenever Claudia was around, the latter was actually the first to befriend her when she started out at Elwood, and despite how impossible she could be sometimes, she was really a nice girl at heart.

"So does your man know you're carrying his baby?" Claudia said while crossing her arms,

"Yeah, called him last night actually,"

"And how did he react?"

"He fainted, Arthur's never been the kind of person to take news like that lightly," a faint giggle escaped her at that last part,

"Well, can't say I blame him, when I told my husband I was pregnant the first time, I found him the next morning lying on the kitchen floor in nothing but his boxers and chewing on uncooked bacon," she laughed a bit at that and Molly was giggling even louder than before,

"Actually, Arthur and I originally planned on having a baby only after we got married, but due to...unforeseen circumstances, we kinda got a little carried away," she said as she stood up and approached the window,

"Honey, when you're in a relationship, a ton of things can happen, trust me I know. If there's anything that experience has taught me, is that the reality of love is full of pain, pleasure...and a lot of dirty diapers...trust me," Claudia shuddered as she recalled all of the sleepless nights she had to endure when she first had hers,

"Oh I think I can handle it," Molly paused for a moment in thought, "You know what, I really don't think I should say that out loud, you know, just in case,"

"Amen," Claudia said as she went out the door,


	8. Chapter 8

January 8, 2013

2:08 am

"_Oh dear God_!"

Arthur was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his eyes wide open; the bags under them indicating that he had not slept well at all. He couldn't stop thinking of that fateful day when his girlfriend revealed to him the news, that they were about to add another one into the mix of their relationship.

His reaction was nothing unusual in a way that was uncommon to most men of his morale, and it was already a few hours before he regained consciousness, with the phone lying next to him and with Molly no longer on the other line.

He was at least embarrassed by that little incident a few days later, and she just had to rub it in the last time they got together.

January 7, 2013

"Arthur, normally I'm not the kind of woman to rub salt in the wound after it's gotten worse, but..._you just went and got me a baby_! Oh what was that? I'm pregnant that's what!" Molly raised her arms mockingly at her partner, who was moping silently while drinking a can of Mountain Dew in her living room.

Molly was wearing a black football shirt, black jogging pants, white socks and white slippers. Arthur was wearing a yellow collared shirt with red trimmings on his sleeves, blue jeans, white socks and black slippers.

"Yeah, go ahead and make me even more edgy why don't you, at least I'm dealing with this the best I can!" he said before taking a big swig,

"Don't be so out of it Arthur! We're going to be _parents_!" Molly replied, this time with genuine enthusiasm,

"You don't seem to grasp that I'm the only one of us who feels that there's a downside to this," Arthur continued,

"Hey, someone has to keep a straight head, and I took dibs!" Molly held his free hand and squeezed it, "Please don't take this the wrong way honey, I thought we agreed on it back at the hotel? Having second thoughts already?"

"I did, and not that I regret that ever happening, it's just that I never imagined it would be that easy. Try to tally the number of couples who aren't in our situation and had to try several times just to get results,"

"That's like...10% at most around my age,"

"You went and researched it, didn't you?"

"You better believe it!"

"But that still doesn't count us, I'd like to rank us as a generic amongst several potentials,"

"Maybe you're just that potent?" Molly's grin grew wider into a smile,

"Ha Ha, hooray for me! I can barely contain my pride...really!" he frowned a little at her before lightly pecking her cheek,

"Arthur, try not to spoil this for the both of us, we should be celebrating!"

"With what? Pepsi and pizza?"

…

"(Sigh) I got the number, what toppings do you want?" Arthur stood up from the sofa and took out his cellphone,

"Everything on it, _family_ size!" Molly said, making out a large circular pattern with her hands,

"Please don't shove me any innuendos right now, I'm seriously not in the mood,"

"Arthur, would you come here for a moment," she signaled for him to come closer, only for her to jump on him and causing the cellphone to drop from his hand before he could finish typing in the whole number,

"Arthur, when are you going to drive it through that thick helmet you call a skull and realize that we. are. a. team! We can do this," she kissed him as a sign of reassurance, "Besides, isn't the man supposed to be the one with the backbone here?" she helped him up to stand and handed him his cellphone, which she found lying next to the sofa,

"You're right" Arthur inhaled deeply to get a hold of himself, "I've got to keep it cool, smooth, calm and rational...sorry Molly, got into my panic zone back there,"

"Well, you better get over your panic zone, because we can't exactly afford either one of us backing down from this,"

"I don't think we can even afford to tell our parents!"

"Oh, I've already taken the liberty of doing just that behind your back to see the look on your face when I finally tell you, about 22 hours ago before you even got here," Molly crossed her arms and stared at her boyfriend as he suddenly became stoic and very quiet, which was quickly replaced by a sudden burst of anger,

"YOU. DID. WHAT!?" Arthur's breathing began to intensify as he was trying ever so carefully to process everything that was happening right now,

"N-now Arthur, d-don't get too tense now!" Molly backed away as she was suddenly taken over by fear at the former's reaction,

"Getting you pregnant was one thing, but _telling_ our parents before I even had a say on it is not what I call a good plan for communication," Arthur grabbed Molly by the arms and stared daggers at her as his rage boiled, which quickly subsided as he forcefully landed a kiss on her, which shocked her as suddenly as his outburst.

When he broke away, he leaned his forehead on hers and whispered, "It's not easy is it?"

Molly nodded slightly, 'It never is, but you know what makes it better, is that we're together for this,"

Arthur looked down for a moment in thought and held Molly, swaying slowly as they comforted each other.

Present

Arthur ran his hand through his face as he reflected on the past events that transpired, beginning from the party up to that point, and realizing that he was being a tad bit irrational in terms of handling such a sensitive situation, and Molly made him realize that after his rather inappropriate display the day before,

"Having trouble sleeping?" a voice next to him caught his attention,

"More like trouble accepting," he turned to face her, a bit ashamed of what he had been doing,

"Well, you gotta admit you pretty much gave me a scare back there," she said as she snuggled closer to him,

"Sorry about that...that really got you huh?"

"Don't push it, I'm still the bully around here remember," she slapped him on the chest,

"Oh that again, are you going to take my lunch money or give me a wedgie?"

"Wedgie!" she quickly slipped a hand under him,

"Whoa! Aren't we being naughty!" he responded in kind by tickling her,

"Hahahah, Arthur, st-stop it! Th-this isn't funny, I will-ahah-hit-ahahahah!" sensing that Molly had enough, he quickly relented and proceeded to gently rub her stomach to comprehend the life that was slowly growing inside. She took a hold of his hand and gently squeezed it.

"You think we'll be good parents?" he asked her,

"Well on a practical perspective, it depends entirely on our motivations to raise it,"

"Motivations?"

"Arthur, most parents today would rather focus on raising their kids based on what they want them to be, and the worst part is that they're more concerned over the results than the effort; translation, how much money they want their projects to rake up after they've become attorneys, doctors or whatever the hell brings in the most income, instead of owning up to the God given task of bringing up good, happy and stable children. I've seen it tons of times and it never works out," Molly couldn't hide the contempt she felt over such a gruesome reality,

"That's...that's horrible," Arthur could hardly believe what he had just heard, and could barely imagine such parents even stooping to such levels, "You're not honestly considering us becoming like that, are you?"

"I'll be _damned_ before we even think of raising our kid that way. Arthur, I want us to be good parents by every sense of the phrase, and I've seen more than my own fair share of people who actually have the gall to view themselves as such,"

"Hey, if we're going to do this, let's never forget what's most important; we love each other and we're happy, and we're going to share each and every day with our baby living by those words...if not more,"

"No running away?" Molly asked him,

"Never," Arthur reassured her,

Arthur gradually went to sleep in that position for the rest of the night, finally at peace with the future.


	9. Chapter 9

January 10, 2013

"Well, how does it feel expecting?" Jane Read said after taking a sip form her coffee,

"It's...not as exciting as most people seem to make it out to be," Arthur shrugged in his seat,

Arthur and Molly were in the Read household, having dropped by to visit and give them a more formal disclosure of their current situation,

"It's nothing to be that agitated about. In fact, I remember when I first found out that I was pregnant with you dear, and it just came to me as a bit of a shock,"

"Bit of a shock? You were practically ecstatic about it, and it was bad enough you almost notified the neighbors with your screaming," David Read said while reading his newspaper,

"I take it you didn't share mom's enthusiasm dad?" Arthur inquired,

"On the contrary, I was pretty happy too, but I have to admit it was a little daunting when we were first settling in. We could barely make ends meet considering the mortgage, the bills, and top it all off; you,"

"Way to drive the guilt slinging home dad," Arthur crossed his arms and leaned on the table,

"Sorry, but that's life son, a lot of twists and turns, unexpected routes to take and maybe even a few detours here and there,"

"Honey is that life or a road trip? Your father's been itching to take me on one ever since you and D.W. moved out," Jane said while putting her mug down,

"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying," David said turning to his wife,

"So Molly, how do _you_ feel about all this?" Jane turned to her future daughter-in-law,

"Well Mrs. R, it hasn't been easy, the first time with the morning sickness was a real downer," Molly said after chewing on the last piece of her waffles,

"It always is, but you'll learn to live with it. However, you'll still go through regular bouts of nausea from time to time so I advise you to be careful and keep your strength up, so here have some more," Jane lectured while serving Molly a heaping stack of waffles,

"Don't mind if I do and thank you," Molly accepted invitingly,

"Easy there Moll, you had 2 plates of eggs in the diner we passed by earlier remember?" Arthur cautioned her,

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry...must be the cravings kicking in," Molly replied in between chews,

"Those will be the least of your problems when your weight starts to sho-AH!" Arthur yelped in pain as he suddenly felt something hammer down hard on his foot.

He peered under the table before turning to Molly, who just seemed to be minding her own food,

"Aaand there's the mood swings," Jane mused while clearing the used tableware,

"I suggest you tread lightly in the presence of a pregnant woman Arthur, they can get pretty sensitive if you push them hard enough," David snickered, his eyes still glued to the paper,

"I've noticed," Arthur glowered while tending to the sore appendage while glancing at Molly, who just flippantly drew her tongue out at him to annoy him further.

_In the living room_...

"The point is, Molly and I have been discussing our pregnancy these past few days, and after a couple of close calls we came to a decision to sort it out with people who would know the situation best and with more experience," the both of them were sitting on the couch as they continued their discussion from the kitchen,

"We opted for my parents first, but they're on their third honeymoon right now in Boracay, so we went for the next best thing," Molly continued,

"I'm glad we were so available for you two," Jane said sarcastically,

"So what do you want to talk about?" David was sitting on one of the couches, with Jane sitting on another one from across his side,

"We're...sort of afraid we might mess things up," Arthur admitted reluctantly,

"Pretty direct there son, you sure you don't have any more issues to work out other than the impending fear of child," David adjusted his glasses,

"We're not _that_ afraid...okay maybe a little nervous, but Molly and I have been on edge these days! We can't even have a solid conversation anymore without bringing the subject up and not turn it into an argument," Arthur took a hold of Molly's hand and gripped it firmly,

"Okay first off, don't let the anxiety get to you, second, a little arguing is unavoidable, but that should never put a wedge between you two, understand?" Jane said firmly, causing the other couple to nod in agreement,

"It's only natural for you guys to feel that way because hey, you're young, it's your first time and you almost know nothing about raising a baby...at least I think you guys know nothing about raising a baby," David continued, but relented when his wife glared at him,

"We've been doing our research dad, going to classes and asking advice from friends who already have their own families," Arthur carried on,

"But we're still trying to find some reassurance that we can do this," Molly finished,

Jane and David stared at each other for a moment and beamed a knowing smile,

"Arthur, do you and Molly love each other?" Jane asked,

"Well, yes," Arthur answered,

"Is there any indication that you don't?" David added,

"No, we're very happy together, the time of our lives," Molly ringed her arms around Arthur's,

"Will either one of you be able to leave the other? I know it can be hard, but there's always that "Exit" door," Jane said nonchalantly, as if trying to garner a provoked response,

"No! I don't think we'd ever be able to fully live it dow...," Arthur stopped for a moment, a slight epiphany dawned on him.

Although it was true that their relationship wasn't perfect because of all the problems they'd get into sometimes, what relationship is?

Neither of them ever thought of breaking up when push came to shove, all because they promised to work hard and build a life for themselves, hoping that they would accomplish their dreams through it all, and now that they're already at such a critical stage, does that mean they're going to back down now?

"No," Arthur answered assuredly,

"Not likely," Molly said, backing him up,

"Wonderful, now who's up for some Peach Cream Pie?" David said while standing up,

Molly quickly raised her hand.


	10. Chapter 10

February 14, 2013

7:29 p.m.

"Happy Valentines Day Molly!" Arthur said as he handed her a small box in sparkling red wrapping paper with a red bow on the top,

"Thanks...and this is for you, Happy Valentines Day Arthur," Molly replied as she handed him a slightly larger box which she hid behind her; neatly secured in white wrapping with red stripes and a white bow on the top.

Both opened them on cue as they looked at the clock, "A silver necklace!" Molly carefully held the piece of jewelry with her fingers as she admired it,

"That's only half of it Molly, I have the other one here," Arthur said as he presented her a small heart shaped silver brooch, "Here, they go together," he said as he carefully attached both trinkets, which he then placed around his fiance's neck

"It's...beautiful," Molly could hardly contain her joy, "Now open yours,"

"Alright," Arthur said as he slowly opened his with a hint of anticipation...only for it to take a nose dive when he finally saw what was inside, "A sweater?" taking a bit of it out to examine more closely,

Now, the tone of his voice was nothing short of hilarious, which Molly's reaction immediately made obvious as she roared with laughter at the monotony,

"So...worth it!" Molly held her stomach as she continued to bombard her fiance with mirth,

"I don't suppose this is _it_...is it?" Arthur said a bit disappointingly as he held it for all to see; a red wool sweater with a diamond shaped row design aligned in the middle and going all the way around,

"Pfft, courtesy of Rattles Arthur...just kidding, actually I saw it at the department store and I just couldn't help imagining you in it!"

"Yes...knowing you, this is all I'm going to get," Arthur wasn't amused one bit by this...rather mundane item of clothing, especially compared to the necklace he gave her,

"So, ready for your _real_ one?" Molly said, having recovered from her hysterics,

"Oh, and here I thought you decided to exchange February 14th with April 1st, how thoughtful of you," Arthur replied as he folded the sweater back into the box,

"Allow me to reiterate that; gift_s_, because you've been such a wonderful companion to me all these years Arthur, I can't help but make this particular night...special," Molly whispered into his ear before playfully nipping at his neck, which sent a tingle down his spine as he felt her warm breath on his skin,

"The first will be...dinner," Molly said as she guided him to her kitchen, where the table was already arranged with candles, plates, utensils and a fondue pot in the center, while a plate of Roast Beef could be seen resting comfortably on the counter,

"This still isn't enough to make up for that sweater," Arthur said as he took a seat,

"Just relax babe and enjoy the night, I promise regret will be the last feeling you'll go out with," she said as she poured him a glass of red wine,

Dinner went along smoothly, where Arthur found that Molly was a bit of a cook herself judging by how delicious the food was, "I assume you've been practicing," he said after wiping his mouth with a napkin,

"Hey I've never been that bad, have I?" she said while twirling the wine in her glass,

"As I recall, the first dinner you ever served me was kinda...chewy," Arthur said after taking a sip of wine, recalling just how tough meat can really be if not done properly,

"Well, how was my cooking now?" Molly said leaning in for his critique,

"I would say that the beef was tender enough this time, and the taters had a relatively creamy texture...but the gravy you added wasn't all that thick,"

"Wow Arthur, you could give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money with that review," she said before finishing her glass and standing up to clear the table, with Arthur opting to assist her,

"Brutal honesty has always been the best way to assess people, especially if they fail to meet a certain quota," Molly could sense the tone of his voice and knew that he meant the sweater, little did he know that he was about to get more than he could bargain for,

"If it helps, this is actually the second. The third and final gift is coming later, just wait in the living room so I can get it,"

"Let me at least try to guess what it is this time so I can humor you. It's a...jacket?" Arthur said as he sat himself on the couch,

"You'll see," Molly grinned at him as she caressed his chin before disappearing into her bedroom.

_7 minutes later_...

Arthur was sitting patiently on the couch, no longer caring of what Molly was going to give him at that point, seeing as how that she exerted a reasonable amount of effort in treating him to such a great dinner, which he couldn't admit to her face even though he suspected that she already knew.

Another couple of minutes went by and Arthur was beginning to wonder if Molly was really going to go through with what she intended to give him or just went straight to bed, but like he resolved earlier he no longer cared, so better to just go to sleep himself rather than start an argument, but before he could lie down the door slowly opened, and leaning on the side was Molly...who was wearing nothing but black lingerie and the necklace that he gave her.

"Hey...!" she said playfully,

"Um...what exactly...are you...d-doing?" Arthur said slowly, stuttering a bit,

"What do you think?" Arthur could sense that she was primed for seduction as she signaled for him to come closer, which he did with very little resistance.

"Well, I've gotta say that this is...some come back Molly. Getting desperate are we, or you just couldn't think of anything else?"

"I'd say this is more than enough, you up for it?" Molly said as she entwined her arms around his neck, leaning in for him to feel her breasts.

He swallowed hard and struggled to reply, "Well...that depends...are you?" she slowly ran a finger from his crotch all the way up to his lips, only for her to lick it with the tip of her tongue.

"_I guess that answers my question_," Arthur mused before being pulled into the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

February 15, 2013

The couple were in the kitchen eating breakfast, which Arthur had prepared in gratitude for everything Molly had done for him the previous night.

"Uh...Molly?" he started after putting down his fork,

"Yeah Arthur?" she responded while reading the paper and drinking from a cup of coffee,

"I hope this serves as both an apology and a token of my appreciation for you,"

Molly turned to look at him, "There's nothing to apologize about babe, I should be the one saying sorry regarding your sweater, it is kinda lame isn't it,"

"Au contra ire my dear, at least it's something I can use, not like the necklace I bought you,"

"Arthur, this is possibly the sweetest gift you've ever given me," she assured him while fondling the trinket dangling from her neck,

"Considering that it took 5 months worth of my salary, I'm glad it pleases you," Arthur said before he resumed eating,

"So, I've got the rest of the day off, what do you want to do?" Molly asked while folding her paper,

"I was thinking we could take a stroll around the beach,"

"The beach? At this time of month?" Molly raised an eyebrow,

"Why not? The wind's just right, and we could just eat out at a restaurant for lunch,"

"Alright, I suppose we do need the fresh air and exercise...after everything we did last night of course,"

Molly was wearing a white shirt that was buttoned up halfway along with the panty that was part of her lingerie, while Arthur was wearing his own shirt and boxers.

_9:02 a.m._

"Molly are you done locking up yet?" Arthur said while readjusting his collar,

"Yeah, let's go!" she took a hold of his arm as they made their way down with the elevator and headed out of the apartment building.

Arthur was wearing the clothes that he wore when he first came to Molly's apartment, while she was wearing a blue waistcoat over a white shirt, blue jeans, and black loafers.

_At the beach_

The beach was more than what the pair had hoped for, as there were only a few couples present who apparently had the same idea as they did.

Arthur inhaled deeply as he took in the scent of the ocean, which was more refreshing during the day as the sunlight shone on the waters, causing the waves to glisten brightly.

They proceeded to walk along the sand, letting their bare feet sink into the moist sediment and tickle their toes; combined with the cool of the water and the moderately strong breeze, it was heavenly.

After a while, they found a large boulder to rest on along the shore.

"I really wish our days would be like this more often," Molly confided in him,

"Yeah...but we can't always get what we want in life, sometimes; like my dad said, it's full of twists and turns, and maybe a few detours here and there," he chuckled a bit before depositing a kiss on her cheek.

"Yeah...," she pecked him in return,

They stayed like that for another hour before heading off to a nearby pizza place; the "_Erba Piccante_".

The building was moderately large, with an ethnic design that complimented it's theme, the outside was lined with several tables where a few customers could be seen eating and talking, a large window behind them gave a slightly vague impression of the inside.

Hand in hand, they entered the establishment only to see that there weren't that many people.

"Not exactly the Ritz, but at least this place smells appetizing,"

Arthur surveyed the room and quickly spotted two familiar faces that were sitting at the second table near the window, "Molly look, it's Brain and Lydia,"

He was pointing to a male bear wearing an olive green sweater, gray trousers and brown loafers, who was seated next to a cream colored female fox with short red hair and glasses, who was wearing a red cardigan over a white shirt, pink trousers and blue walking shoes; a wheelchair was folded next to the vacant seat on the other side of the table.

The couple were having a large vegetarian pizza, but both barely seemed to mind it as they appeared to be deep in conversation, only to be interrupted by the aardvark, "Brain, Lydia!"

The bear turned to see who it was, and smiled as he recognized his good friend, "Arthur, Molly, it's been quite a while I see," he greeted them warmly before offering them to sit, but not before Molly politely asked permission from Lydia to help her move her wheelchair, which the latter kindly consented to.

"So how have you been Brain?" Molly asked him before opening her menu,

"Just celebrating post-valentines with my wife," he gestured to his partner,

"You two are married? Since when?" Arthur inquired,

"Since we filed our marriage certificates in the courthouse," Lydia answered while flashing her ring at them,

"We're still deciding for the date of the ceremony to make it even more official," Brain added,

"Well congratulations! Is that why you guys barely touched your food," Molly gestured to their already stale pizza,

"Oh yeah, you guys can have some if you want," Brain signaled to a nearby waiter,

"No thanks, we'll order our own, you know...one with more meat," Arthur said after putting down his menu, followed shortly by the appearance of a waiter.

"So what'll it be folks?" a young hedgehog in a red and green uniform asked the newcomers,

"We'll have a large meat volcano and a serving of french fried potatoes, with drinks Reg," Arthur addressed him after he read the boy's name tag,

"Okie dokie...anywho, I'll be right back to serve you guys some garlic bread sticks as appetizers; on the house of course, part of our heart to hearth special this month of February, we hope you enjoy," and with that he was off.

"So Brain, when did you guys tie the knot?" Arthur continued,

"Two days ago, we wanted to make sure to do it before Valentine's Day to commemorate our bond in matrimony," he explained as he took a hold of his wife's hand,

"Wow, and here we are before you as a pregnant couple out of wedlock," Molly said plainly while propping her head up,

"Congratulations yourselves!" Lydia held out her hand in approval, which the other woman accepted,

"So, I take it you guys are okay with that?" Arthur questioned,

"Absolutely, why wouldn't we be?" Brain assured him, "It's not our place if you guys decide to have a child, but do you have any idea how much the rate of out-of-wedlock births is nowadays? Approximately 37-38% in the United States alone,"

"Not to mention the four out of ten couples who already view marriage as obsolete," Lydia continued,

"Yeah, I did my research, I still can't believe how much things have changed," Arthur said while surveying his surroundings,

"I already knew that even before you decided to read on it," Molly said while picking her teeth with a toothpick she took out from the dispenser,

"Something which you neglected to tell me," Arthur said coolly,

"It wasn't exactly something important to bring up, but since we're talking about the subject, the most notable students I see on a day-to-day basis in my school have parents that are either live-in partners, divorced or separated, but some of them are actually okay with it, but don't ask me on how they compare to the ones who aren't,"

"The rec center I work in isn't any better, a few weeks ago the mother of one of my students got into a fight with a man who I could only guess was the father, and _right in front_ of their daughter; to say it was a scandal would be sugar coating it," Arthur said disappointingly,

"That's unsurprising, I've read in recent surveys that the American family is no longer what it used to be, we're looking at an increase in divorce, cohabitation, blended families of both homo and heterosexual design..."

As Arthur listened closely to Brain's elaboration, doubt was beginning to creep up in his head again . He glanced at Molly, who was just calmly playing with the toothpick in her mouth.

He quickly shook himself back to his senses, remembering everything that they've been through just to get a firm grip of their difficulties.

After finishing their conversation, Reg came back with the bread sticks, along with a notice that the rest of their orders would follow shortly. Brain and Lydia went back to eating their pizza, while continuing to discuss about other matters that weren't so depressing.

6:38 p.m.

Arthur and Molly were walking by the busy street near his apartment building; having said their goodbyes to the Powers earlier, their time in the restaurant proved much longer than any of them could have intended, but time has that sort of way when it came to such occasions.

"I hope those two last together," Arthur said carelessly,

"Well _I_ hope you're not implying they're not going to make it, are you?" Molly said as she went on ahead of him,

"I'm just saying anything can happen Moll, and besides Brain and Lydia have been seeing each other since the 6th grade, and judging from how close those two were back there, I'd say they're set for life," Arthur recovered, a bit relieved that she wasn't chewing him out for it,

"Nice...so anyway, what are we going to watch tonight? I'll microwave the popcorn this time," Molly slowed down a bit for him to catch up,

"I was kinda saving this DVD I bought last week, which I was planning on showing to you yesterday but...well, as we may already know...," Molly quickly stuck her tongue out and licked his cheek before he could finish,

"What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed away her saliva,

"Just a little heads up on what's to come if I get bored with the movie," Molly said before smacking her lips suggestively at him as they climbed up the stairs.

"_I will never truly understand the wonders of pregnancy_, _but at this point I really don't give a damn_!" Arthur thought as he neared his door.


	12. Chapter 12

_February 24, 2013_

_11:08 a.m._

"This sucks!"

"Hm? Something wrong Moll?" Arthur glanced at her sitting next to him on the couch,

"I feel like my head's been in a blender, and look how bloated I've gotten. To think I'm just going to get bigger is not doing anything for me right now!" Molly said as she was massaging her temples,

"That's just natural, your about nine weeks already," he turned another page of the book that he was reading, "It'll be fine, besides weren't you the one telling me to be supportive?"

"I'll gladly share you my pain if you don't shut up!" she stated calmly

"Point taken," Arthur replied before focusing even more on his reading.

A few minutes later, the phone in his right pocket started to vibrate. He closed his book before taking it out and pressing answer, "Hello?"

"Arthur? It's me Buster, listen, I just got back from my flight...and I don't know if you're gonna believe this but...I kinda got lost along the way to your place, I mean I got the address and Googled it but..."

"Buster I gave you the exact address, and how in the world did you get lost?" Arthur said as he put down the book on his coffee table.

"I'm not lost per se, I recognize where I am, I just don't know _exactly_ where your apartment is. Care to help me me out?" Buster was starting to sound desperate,

"(Sigh) Okay no problem, wherever you are just wait for me, got it?" he stood up and paced a bit,

"I'm at the Chickin Lickin' near the Sugar Bowl,"

"Did you go there instinctively or did you use your stomach as a compass?" Arthur asked,

"I never travel on an empty stomach, just get here before I decide to have thirds, Buster out!"

"Yeah see ya!" he ended the call before taking out his car keys,

"You're just gonna leave me here?" Molly called out to him as he was nearing the door,

"It won't take too long Moll, do you want anything from Chickin Lickin'?"

"Three Crispy Dippin Lickins and two Cheddarolla Fries please," she answered as she turned on the television,

"What did I say about your weight?" Arthur asked with both hands on his hips,

"And what did I say about my fist making contact with your jaw?" Molly threatened lightheartedly,

"(Sigh) Again, point taken, see ya babe!" Arthur waved goodbye,

"Later!" Molly replied,

_At the Chickin Lickin'_

Arthur saw Buster sitting on one of the outdoor tables as he was pulling over on the parking lot, noticing even from a distance that he had already eaten his fill judging from his tray which had two buckets and a couple of wrappers strewed all over.

As he neared him, he didn't fail to notice how little Buster had changed. He was still as tall as him, a bit chubby, and was wearing a white shirt under a gray jacket, blue jeans and black loafers.

The rabbit stood up and went ahead to greet him, "Arthur!" he held out his hand warmly, which the aardvark took in kind before being drawn in for a hug.

"It's been a long time man!" Buster said before breaking away and leading the other back to his table,

"Not that long, it's only been 4 years since we last saw each other," Arthur said as he cleared some of the lingering clutter,

Rather than just order then and there, they decided to have a little chat before heading straight to the apartment; with bounty in tow for Arthur's sake, "I trust a lot of good has happened in your life my friend?" Buster started,

"To satisfy your burgeoning curiosity, I've been in the best relationship a guy could ever ask for and I couldn't be happier," he smiled casually,

"So I guess she's not jacked up on hormones right now?"

"Was I that obvious?"

"Arthur, you're my best friend, of course you're that obvious. Molly hasn't been that hard on you, has she?"

"Not exactly, although I did promise her that I'd be back in a short while, preferably with something to satiate her appetite," Arthur said a little tensely,

"Yeah, the first trimester can be hard, but no worries, at least she's healthy,"

"That I'm thankful for, but I've gotta admit...I'm scared man, and I'm not talking about on what she'll do to me if I come back empty handed,"

"Most men are, it's not like I won't be a nervous wreck when I get to be in your shoes someday,"

"By the way, don't you have somebody special in your life?" Arthur leaned in a bit to enforce his question,

"Who moi? Arthur, I'm a traveling professional photographer who spends months to years on end abroad taking whatever I can that can sell on magazines or be hung at galleries. As if I have the time to go cruising for babes," Buster explained as he popped a cigarette from a pack that he took out of his coat pocket, but before he could light it,

"Whoa, Buster...what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm sucking a straight," he replied as he took a short whiff, "So anyway, as I was saying-"

"When did you start?" Arthur interrupted, a look of concern visible on his face,

"A few years ago, now here's some advice if you're ever going to survive with a girl like Molly, especially-"

"Hang on a minute Buster...I really don't think you should be doing that in front of me," Arthur interrupted again in a discreetly stern tone, but Buster could sense it.

He took another, slightly longer whiff, "Look, if you have a problem with this then you can just tell me,"

"Geez Buster all I said was that I don't want you doing that in front of me...okay?" the aardvark's voice rose a bit as he finished,

The two stared at one another for a while before Buster finally relented, and he smudged it on a crumpled up wrapper, "Happy?"

"Maybe we should just continue this conversation back at my place-but not before we order,"

"Whatever,"

Both men proceeded to enter the building, where they went to the end of the shortest line. Arthur glanced behind him and saw that Buster was just minding his own business; hands in his pockets and eyes wandering about.

Arthur had never known Buster to smoke; especially considering that he had asthma, but seeing his friend doing it in front of him was enough to inspire a hint of worry that; unbeknownst to him at that moment, would only worsen over time.

_Back home_

"We're back!" Arthur called from the doorway, carrying some of Buster's bags along with the food that they ordered,

"That took longer than expected, did you guys get sidetracked along the way?" Molly asked as she flipped through a few channels,

"You could...say that," Arthur replied as he checked on Buster, who was just setting down his luggage next to the kitchen counter.

His back was turned.


	13. Chapter 13

_Later that night..._

"What,"

Buster stared stoically at Molly as he was trying to process everything that she said, "You heard me long ears, while you're under Arthur's roof there will be no smoking, regardless if I'm here or not," she rubbed her stomach gently,

"Are you kidding me? I only smoke once a day! So what's the deal?" he took a bite out of the roll that he was eating,

"The _deal_ is that I'm _pregnant_ as if you hadn't already noticed, and Arthur happens to have an aversion to nicotine,"

"Look B, I respect your right, but you just can't do it here," Arthur backed her up,

The couple were sitting together on the couch with his arm around her shoulders, while Buster was sitting on the bean bag.

"You're kidding me right? I've been to a ton of places already and I've rarely ever been reprimanded to smoke," he was starting to get irritated,

"Well I guess there _is_ a first time for everything. Buster, you can't smoke in here, end of discussion," Molly warned him in a deadpan manner,

...

"Okay, fine...I can take it!" Buster said coolly.

"Wonderful," Arthur said sardonically,

**February 25, 2013**

7:39 a.m.

The trio were having breakfast in Arthur's kitchen, and while he and Molly were still busy chowing down on their food, Buster managed to finish first, "That was great man, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom for a sec," but before he could walk from the table,

"Buster, take out the cigarette from your pocket," Molly said without turning away from her paper,

"What? Moll, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom, that's all-okay here you go," Buster reluctantly surrendered the contraband to her, who then placed it behind her right ear.

**February 26, 2013**

6:08 p.m.

"Hey, I'm just gonna take out the trash okay? Be right back," Buster said as he headed for the kitchen, only to be intercepted by Arthur who had just finished brushing his teeth; the latter holding his hand out towards the former,

"Buster, I know you have a cigarette tucked away in the fold of your right ear..._give it_!"

"Come on dude, what do you take me for?" Buster said calmly, but Arthur could still see through the lie,

Unflinchingly, he just stood there with a stern look on his face as he stared the rabbit down before answering, "My best friend,"

Defeated, he slowly reached into his ear to indeed procure a fresh butt,

"Buster, you can't keep doing this!" Arthur said as he threw it into the bin before taking out the bag and sealing it shut,

"Look, you're not going to make me quit just like that, it takes intense; and might I add _expensive,_ treatment to make a person drop the habit," Buster said intensely,

"I know, I just don't want my room to smell like weed when Molly comes back," Arthur said as he handed Buster the bag,

"You sure are taking this seriously!" Buster was nearing the door before Arthur continued, "Buster, you have asthma, why in the world did you even take up smoking in the first place?"

"It's my life man," Buster turned to look at him,

"I know...I just want you to have a long one that's all," his voice was laced with even more concern this time,

"A lot of things can happen when you're out there Arthur, and you can only do so much to cope," Buster said before going out, leaving Arthur to ponder on their exchange.

**February 27, 2013**

8:10 p.m.

"Hey babe!" Molly said before kissing Arthur in the doorway, with Buster in the living room watching television and munching on a bag of potato chips,

"I don't suppose you've been hitting the ol' faggaroo again, have you long ears?" Molly asked as she walked up to him,

"No your majesty, I assure you your royal guard has been keeping watch of my actions in your absence," Buster replied without looking away from his show,

"Very funny my court jester, be sure to entertain me as I attend to my duties, lest I execute you for your transgressions," she stifled a laugh as she played along with him,

"It's okay Moll, I hid his packet away somewhere even he can't find it," Arthur said reassuringly,

"Oh yeah? I bet I can _guess_ where it is," Molly challenged him,

"Pfft, as if!" Arthur mocked her,

"It's at the bottom of your-" he quickly placed a hand on her mouth before she could give it away,

"You are _not_ going to reveal where I hid it in front of Buster, so let's leave it at that," he scolded her a bit,

"Sorry, I just got out of work so I'm beat," Molly heaved a sigh as she fell on the bean bag after dropping her purse on the floor,

"Careful Molly,"

"Relax, just let me catch a few before I get a change of clothes," she said as she kicked her loafers off,

"Well that ruins my plans for tonight," Arthur said as he sat next to Buster,

"Did I just hear you right? Well, you might want to hold on to those plans if it's anything to get rid of the stress I'm feeling right now,"

"Hey, I happen to be bunking here you know," Buster reminded them,

"Oh we'll be quiet, although I can't promise you anything B," Arthur said apologetically,

"Whatever," Buster said as he took another mouthful of chips,

After a few hours of resting, Molly was able to recover a bit from her exhaustion before being escorted by Arthur into his bedroom, "So how's his behavior? Any signs of withdrawal?" she whispered as he closed the door,

"If by signs, you mean yelling at the top of his lungs when I asked him what time it was this morning, while sitting _right next_ to him? Then yes, there have been signs,"

"Yeesh, I never thought he'd be that hooked," Molly said as she unbuttoned her shirt, with Arthur grabbing her by the arms and leaning in closer, "I'm worried about him,"

"We both are, we're just going to look out for Buster and hope for the best that he'll be fine...so...want to know what I've got under all this?"

"Nothing on I hope..." Arthur was starting to get aroused as he gently pulled her shirt down, revealing; much to his disappointment, a white bra,

"Keep digging hotshot, we're just getting started," she breathed as she lured him in for a deep kiss. All other thoughts after that dwindled as they both surrendered to their desire.

_48 minutes later_

Buster was still in the living room watching a movie. Looking at the clock, he then glanced at the bedroom door and saw that it was closed shut, with the couple inside presumably incapacitated.

Seeing the opportunity, he quickly dug into the already empty potato chip bag and took out a butt, which he managed to slip in before Arthur took away his packet.

He was about to light it, but stopped upon recalling the things that Arthur had said to him, "_Buster_, _you can_'_t keep doing this_!"

While it was true that he wasn't much of a smoker anyway, he never lasted long without one almost everyday.

He continued to stare at the item in his hand, thinking how easy it would be to just go through with it...before crushing the damn thing and putting it back into the bag and crumpling it. He then headed to the kitchen and threw it into the bin, heaving a sigh of relief...for now,

"_It_'_ll come back_..._it always does_,"


	14. Chapter 14

March 4, 2013

8:47 p.m.

"Are you sure about this?"

Molly was sitting in her kitchen, with Arthur sitting across the other end of the table holding what appeared to be a document.

Tapping the table with her finger and propping her head up, she observed her boyfriend closely if there were any signs of insecurity.

So far, Arthur was doing one hell of job of hiding it.

It has been a few days since Buster had left to accompany his father on another one of his trips, but not without a proper goodbye and a rather awkward warning from Molly to take it easy on the cigarettes. Never had the rabbit experience such a firm; and downright painful, handshake in his life.

"Let me ask you a question first Moll, before I decide whether I really want do this or not. How do you feel about it?" he fiddled a bit with the paper in his hand,

"Arthur, I don't think this is the right time...but I can't help but feel that I really want to,"

"So is that a yes?" Arthur stood up from his seat and slowly moved in front of her; he hesitated slightly before going down on one knee, he looked up and caught her eyes under her bangs.

"Molly...I can't promise you anything, but I love you, and nothing will ever change that! "

"But why now!?" her voice had risen a bit, "Just when I'm pregnant, you decide to ask me that!?" she spread her arms out on the table before using her right one to massage her eyes,

"Look, it's okay if you don't want to right now, I totally understand," he stood up and went back to his seat,

"Alright...but if it's any consolation, let's do it!" Molly stood up and headed for the living room,

"What," Arthur was a little bewildered by her answer, and followed her shortly,

"You heard me son, let's get married," she turned to face him, a smile crossing her lips,

"Okay...that was..."

"Easy? Well let's put it this way, if you do ask me to marry you, how would you do it?" she asked playfully.

Arthur rolled his eyes in annoyance and reminded her, "I already proposed to you remember?"

"Yeah I remember...it was during our trip to New York for your concert, after the performance we went straight up to the Statue of Liberty. It was some view, especially during night when the city lights were like stars from the distance, and when I least expected it, you took my hand and placed a ring on my finger and gave me a kiss, you didn't say anything...but I heard you loud and clear," she stared dreamily at her hand and then at Arthur, who smiled at her as he recalled that moment as well.

"But right now, I want you to do it again, this time the old fashioned way,"

The smile faded as he crossed his arms and stared at her indignantly,"Oh really? And if I don't?"

Molly smiled at him before cracking her neck, which was enough to make Arthur break into a sweat,

"Uh...okay," Arthur moved closer in front of her and knelt down again, "Ahem, Molly MacDonald, will you marry me?" he said with as much emotion as he could muster,

Molly hesitated before replying, "Lame! That the best you got?"

Arthur cringed a bit at that before standing up, "Do I have to go with the dramatic approach or do I have to beg!?"

"Hm...I might consider accepting your proposal, but there seems to be something that's hindering me from making my decision right now," Molly crossed her arms and paced around Arthur, as if circling a prey,

"What are you doing?" he asked, uncomfortably shifting his eyes to keep track of her,

"Trying to determine whether your conviction is solid," she stopped behind and embraced him,

"Conviction? What more proof do you need?"

"Arthur, I need to be sure if this is _really_ what you; and by that I mean, what _we _want...this-this could really complicate things," her voice trailed off a bit, indicating that she was just as nervous as him; if not more,

...

"So you _do_ want me to go all full-blown drama queen on you! Well hate to break it to you babe, but I'm no walking telenovela. Look, after thinking it over a _lot_, I've finally come to the decision that might or might not change our lives for the better, but I don't want to force you or anything so..."

"Okay, I understand," she went around to face him,

"You do?" Arthur raised an eyebrow,

"Absolutely! Tell you what, I'm going to make this a lot more easy for you," Molly held out her hand, "Give me your ring,"

"Excuse me? You can't be serious!" reluctantly, Arthur took off his engagement ring,

"Just watch, _this_ is how you do a marriage proposal!" Molly said as she knelt on one knee while he handed it to her,

"Arthur Timothy Read, will you; my partner for over 7 years, marry me?"

Molly's proposal; while a bit more formal, was surprisingly casual, if not somewhat blithe in manner.

"That's it?" Arthur's eyebrow raised again,

"Is that a yes or a no? Oh, and if you're going to respond, please do it as enthusiastically as possible," the grin she was wearing immediately widened into a smile, almost as if she was stopping herself from laughing,

"Very funny, so I guess that makes me the girl here!" Arthur shrugged his shoulders,

"Well you certainly act like it sometimes," she said as she stood up,

"Give me my ring back," Arthur said as he held out his hand,

"Hang on, first things first, is that a yes or a no?" Molly said as she held the small trinket away from him,

"Do I have to!?" he asked plaintively, almost as if he was begging her not to make him do it,

"Alright, if that's the case, then I might as well confiscate this and put our engagement on hold," she said as she carelessly fiddled with his ring and was about to go back into the kitchen, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

Turning around, she waited patiently for him to comply to her request, grinning all the while, which only served to aggravate Arthur even further.

"(Sigh, _I_'_m so going to hate myself for this_) Yes Molly, I _will_ marry you!" he said in an embarrassingly cheerful voice,

"Oh my gosh! This is _so_ un_real_!" she burst out laughing, all the while giving him his ring back, which he took and slipped back onto his finger while feeling like a total dork,

"Are you happy now?" he asked sternly, clearly unamused by her little game, only to be caught by surprise by her wrapping her arms around his neck and drawn into a passionate kiss.

When they parted, Molly rested her head on his shoulder, "Yes...so happy!" this time, it was genuine.

Arthur glanced at her and felt a rather odd sense of satisfaction within him, "Me too...I love you Molly,"

A few minutes later, the couple were sitting on the couch as they finished signing their signatures on the marriage certificate.

"All I have to do is get this to city hall, and we'll be legally married," Arthur said as he slipped the document into a brown envelope,

"Yeah, I guess all that's left right now is the ceremony, if we'll ever have one," sitting cross-legged, Molly propped her head up with her right arm on her thigh as she stared at her soon-to-be husband before cringing from a dull ache in her abdomen.

"Are you okay Molly!?" Arthur asked as he grabbed her hand that held her stomach, lightly applying pressure to help ease the pain,

"Just another one of the symptoms, it's okay!" she assured him,

"You better not make a habit of scaring me like that Mrs. Read,"

"What!?" Molly asked in surprise,

"You heard me Molly Read!" Arthur happily kissed her on the cheek,

"Don't get carried away Mr. Read, I might just reconsider,"

"Nope, can't! As of this moment you're now my wife; on paper at least," Arthur placed the envelope on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch with his arm around her, snuggling close to each other for a while before moving on to bed.

It was pleasantly quiet that evening.


	15. Chapter 15

March 5, 2013

"You're married!?" Jane Read's voice echoed in the hall, her glee reverberating through the walls that it caught the attention of Kate Read, who was quietly reading her Percy Johnson book in her room.

Curious, she placed the paperback down on her bed and made her way downstairs, where she was greeted by her father who was carrying what appeared to be a large gingerbread house.

At 17, Kate was almost as tall as her father, but only up to his nose. She had a cream complexion, with shoulder-length blond hair.

"Careful Kate, the royal icing hasn't dried yet. I'm putting this out to dry at the backyard,"

"Sure thing dad, let me help you with that," Kate said as she accompanied David,

Upon closer inspection, Kate recognized the design to be a replica of the Crosswire mansion, "Is Mr. Crosswire planning a special occasion dad?" she asked as she opened the door for him

"Yes, apparently Ed's sponsoring an event called Confectionery Constructs, and he asked me to enter into the competition as his representative,"

"Why doesn't he enter it himself?"

"Well the answer to that would be is that he's really not that good of an artisan like me, and he likes my desserts, but I do have my own motives. This contest could mean big publicity for my catering business honey, not to mention the $10,000 prize money," David explained as he placed the fragile foundation on the picnic table,

"That's cool, so what's mom getting all fired up about inside?" Kate was sitting on the bench as she looked back and forth at her father and his creation.

"Your brother's just gotten married!" David answered happily,

"Really? That's awesome!" Kate bolted up from her seat excitedly,

"And they're coming here today to celebrate!" David continued,

"Here? Today!? Oh my gosh, should I wear something?" Kate asked anxiously as she looked down at her black sweater, red jogging pants and pink slippers,

"Relax Kate, they're just coming over for dinner,"

"Okay! Wait...so when's the ceremony?"

"They said they're going to discuss that with us later, they're not in a hurry," David said as he carefully examined his work for any errors, leaving Kate to ponder by herself over the situation,

"_I can't believe it_! _My brother_, _a married man_. _I guess that would mean Molly is my sister_-_in_-_law now_," Kate always liked Molly, as she was fun to talk with, and they never seemed to tire of each others' company.

Kate was still in the 6th grade when she first met her, and it was during the Christmas holidays that Arthur had come home to celebrate with them.

She had at least expected for her brother to come back with his long time girlfriend Francine, but was caught by surprise when he brought with him a different girl.

At first, Kate was a bit indifferent to Molly, as she was uncomfortable with almost anyone she barely knew, and was intimidated by the rabbit's appearance.

Molly was at least an inch taller than Arthur; not counting her ears, and it was a little awkward for him to be with someone older, if only by one year.

Still, Molly was casually polite and formal towards the Reads, as she wasn't much of a stranger and they warmed up to her in no time, with the exception of Kate, who was still a tad shy at that time.

She still remembered their first real conversation.

_7 years ago_:_December 21, 2006_

Arthur had left Molly to relax in the living room by the fire place, while he went upstairs with his father to check out his old room, which had been converted into a personal office for David's business.

Kate was sitting on the carpet in front of the television, watching her favorite holiday special "_For Better or For Worse_: _The Bestest Present_".

She glanced every now and then at Molly, who was just sitting on the sofa while texting on her cellphone.

It was at that point that Kate wondered what her brother could have even seen in her, noting how different she was from all of his other friends.

Little did she know that Molly was well aware that she was being monitored, as she caught a glimpse from Kate under her bangs. Inserting her cellphone back into her pocket, she got up and walked slowly towards the young aardvark and sat next to her.

Nervous, Kate slowly turned to look at her while being as stoic as possible, not letting herself cave in for fear that Molly might get offended.

Molly just sat there cross-legged with her arms holding her up from behind while she leaned back.

She flashed a friendly smile at Kate and tried to make eye contact with her, which proved slightly difficult since the girl was apparently reluctant.

For what seemed like a long time, Molly was the first to break the silence, "Are you Kate?"

Slightly taken aback by the question, she didn't answer, and resolved to continue watching her show.

"I'm Molly, we haven't been properly introduced yet," Molly tried to hold out her hand, but stopped herself upon seeing how reserved Kate was being,

"What are you watching?" Molly asked as she moved in closer, but was still ignored,

Molly just smiled before tossing her head back, after which an idea came to her mind, "So Kate, what are you watching?" Molly asked again,

At this point, out of courtesy to not seem rude, the younger girl finally answered, "One of For Better or For Worse's Christmas specials," Kate's voice was soft, yet still audible enough for the other to hear,

"Foob? By Lynn Johnston? I love that comic! Who's your favorite character?" Molly's enthusiasm had an almost youthful tinge to it,

"Um, April...April's definitely my favorite," Kate was starting to get comfortable,

"Yeah April is cool, like cool-cool in that she's a lot more interesting than most of her family,"

"I've only been reading from the main site. I still haven't finished it though, it's actually quite long," Kate sounded more easygoing now,

"That's because the comic is running on real-time, there's actually over 26 years worth of strips to go through, even I'm having a hard time reading them all,"

Kate smiled a bit, "That is so cool! I never knew that!"

"If you're well-read, you tend pick up a lot of info, so how's school?" Molly moved in closer,

Kate was a bit hesitant on the sudden change of subject, "Okay I guess...you're in college right?"

"Yup!"

"So what's it like?"

It was Molly's turn to hesitate, but hers was much shorter, "Awesome! It has its ups and downs, but those are what make it worthwhile,"

"So Molly...um, can I call you Molly?" Kate's voice trailed off a bit,

"Hey I'm calling you Kate and you're okay with it, right?" Molly replied, causing Kate to giggle at her remark,

"I guess. So Molly...you and Arthur are dating,"

"Yes,"

"So...how long have you guys known each other?" she carefully chose her words at the question,

"Almost our entire lives,"

"Really? He's never...mentioned you that much," Kate sounded even more careful,

"That's because we never really felt the need to, we were what you would call "secret friends","

"Secret friends? Why?" Kate's curiosity was piqued,

"It's kind of a long story, and you were probably like, what, 1? Let's just say it involved him and D.W. taking a dip in my pool and that was it,"

"Say what?" Kate barely stopped herself from letting her jaw fall open,

"It was a _really_ hot summer okay, and I don't mean that by any other way, we were kids back then mind you,"

At this, both of them laughed, something that Molly was aiming for all along given how tense the conversation was going, "So tell me Molly, how did you and my brother manage to get together?"

Upon hearing this, Molly stopped and was a bit unsure on how to reply, "It's...a little sensitive for me to be openly discussing it with you, and it's a much longer story...much longer," her voice sounded a bit distant,

"Did...you get into a misunderstanding with someone?" Kate asked slowly, taking note of what the older woman meant,

"...Yeah...but we managed to make up...only we're just friends now," a thin smile formed on her lips,

...

"I see...but you know Molly, I like you...can _we_ be friends?" Kate held out her hand to her, which she graciously accepted, "Sure thing!"

_5:40 pm_:_Present_

Arthur and Molly had just arrived in the driveway, where they were greeted by a warm welcoming committee composed of David, Jane and finally Kate.

"So dad, is D.W. here yet?" Arthur asked his father after hugging his mother and sister, "Not yet son, but she promised she'd be here shortly," David replied as he escorted them inside.

Molly was the last to follow, during which she gently placed her arm around Kate's shoulder before going into the house.


	16. Chapter 16

March 6, 2013

"I miss you,"

Molly said through her phone with Arthur on the other line listening intently as they both were at their respective workplaces.

"I miss you too, seems like I can't get my mind off of you for one minute. You're doing one hell of a job of tormenting me even when we're apart," Arthur was leaning next to the door of his classroom, while keeping track of the time of when his class would start.

"Is that so? Well then you give me too much credit, by the way I have something to tell you Arthur, can you spare a few more seconds?"

"Sure,"

Dinner with her new in-laws began and ended on a relatively high note, with all of them welcoming her into their family wholeheartedly; save for D.W., who jokingly recommended them a marriage counselor that she knows and arrange for a future appointment, only to be reprimanded by her brother for the rather careless remark.

Even after the small celebration, Molly was still getting used to the feeling of the commitment, not that she wasn't happy with the results.

Earlier that morning, she called her family in order to inform them of the recent events that had transpired, and were unsurprisingly accepting, even recommending that she and her new husband stop by for dinner at their house.

"Great, my parents have expressed an interest in meeting with us later for dinner tonight honey, do you think you can make it?" Molly was lightly scratching at her desk with a pen as she glanced at her wall clock and noted that it was almost time for one of her appointments with a student.

"Sure thing babe, I'll meet you at the front of the school okay?"

"Thanks, love you, bye!" just as the call ended and she replaced her phone in her pocket did the door of her office open to reveal Claudia escorting a young woman inside.

"Thanks Claudia, you can just leave her here," Molly motioned a hand for the girl to take a seat,

"No problem...'Mrs. Read'!" a thin smile formed on Claudia's lips as she exited the room, earning a look from the other woman that could only be inferred as "_I_'_ll get you for that later_!"

"So Matilda how are you doing these past few weeks?" Molly focused on the student in front of her.

Matilda Allen was a modest looking bear, with short auburn hair and light brown fur. She wore a black blouse, gray jeans and black sneakers, with a yellow jacket tied around her waist.

"Fine, I suppose I'm doing well," Matilda answered coolly,

"So how are you getting along with everything that this school has to offer you?"

"It's...not what I really expected since I transferred...it's at least a little rougher than my old one,"

"I understand, but believe me when I say that this place was a lot worse even before you came along, so you should count yourself lucky," Molly said as she opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out a folder that contained Matilda's records.

"Now I understand that you transferred from Glenbrook Academy, why the change of prospective?" Molly asked her after going through her educational background,

"Well, there isn't really much to it. Me and my mom fell on hard times ever since she and my dad separated...they're still in the middle of the divorce proceedings,"

"And has that affected you in anyway?"

...

"What kid wouldn't be affected? But I suppose it doesn't really matter to me that much in any particular way...my parents were always distant for as long as I could remember...I could probably count the number of times that we were actually close with just one hand," her voice trailed off, followed immediately by a small giggle,

Molly bit her lip before proceeding, "Matilda, I'm going to be honest with you, when it comes to an emotionally distant relationship, no real good can ever come out of it. Whether the pair in question will eventually reconcile or try to repair the relationship, the damage has been done. The best that you can do with it is cope and hopefully move on with your life,"

"Okay, that's cool, but I sorta got over it so..."

"Oh? Is that right? Well according to the latest entry to your record. On February 26, you...violently bludgeoned one of your classmates with your binder; several times in fact that it earned her a trip to the nurse's office, how can you explain that to me?"

Matilda hesitated as she tightly bit into her lip, "I...well she was asking for it..."

"How? Can you please clarify?" Molly leaned in to listen,

"Clarice was asking for it...she told me that my dad was...'banging' her mom behind her dad's back," she trailed off at that last part, the hurt all too obvious in her tone,

"Really? Those were her exact words? Can you explain to me why Clarice would even tell you that,"

"She..._claimed_ that my dad was dating her mom for a long time now even before my folks split up...and the only reason she never told me about it until...look is this gonna take long!?" Matilda was starting to get impatient,

"Now Matilda you're here to try and get some help on this," Molly assured her,

"Okay...she told me that it all started since she was 9. Once in a while, whenever her dad would go to work or on one of his business trips, my dad would go to her house and-well you get the idea,"

"Is there more to that? How did Clarice even know about your connection?"

"She overheard me talking about my parents to some of my friends, when she put two and two together...she confronted me. At first I just wanted her to leave me alone, but she just wouldn't stop. She kept telling me my dad would go to her house and see her mom, then she started announcing it all over the class like it was a big deal, I was so embarrassed...I kept telling her to stop! Then she actually had the gall to call my father..." Matilda bit her lip and glowered, staring down as she tried to regain control of herself.

"A what Matilda? What did Clarice call your father?" Molly stood up from her chair and walked slowly at the front of her desk and leaned on it,

"A m..." Matilda looked like she was keeping herself from vomiting,

"A m...?" Molly continued,

"I don't want to say it...it's...it's just that I don't want to make things worse than they already a-," Matilda was getting even more impatient, but was interrupted,

"Ms. Allen, need I remind you that you managed to seriously injure one of your classmates, should I give you the details?" moving to her file cabinet and opening it, Molly rummaged through a few folders before finally settling on one; a Ms. Clarice Wilkins.

Opening it, she flipped through a few pages until she came upon the medical report from the nurse, "(Ahem) Ms. Wilkins' face was heavily lacerated with bruises, with her nose bleeding and broken; all the result from physical trauma via a blunt object; that must be one hell of a binder! In addition to that, she suffered from a mild concussion and lost consciousness before any of the other kids managed to pull you away from her,"

Matilda rubbed her head before looking up to face Molly, "Look I was angry okay!? She called my dad a...m-man-whore!"

"You mentioned that Clarice had a reason for not telling you about the affair sooner, why is that?"

"What? Didn't you hear me? She called m-"

"Yes I heard you, I understand that you were offended by that, so you reacted how anyone with a little pride left for their family would have, I take it you are still skeptical about your father's infidelity?"

"I'm...not really-look can we stop!?" Matilda was starting to sound even more desperate,

"Matilda, with all due respect please sit down so that we can at least try to sort this mess out, because you're not going to get any closure if you keep trying to divert from _why _you are here in the first place. Not to mention that Clarice's parents won't waste a breath in charging you for assault and battery,"

"_Look I just want all of this stop_!" Matilda grabbed and lowered her head,

"I'm trying to help you! That's all I'm doing, because believe it or not, it's the kind of kids like you that need and deserve help the most, something that I never compromise on, understand!?" Molly lectured while pointing a finger at her,

"I'm not doing this just because it's my job, it's because I love doing it, now moving on. You mentioned that Clarice didn't tell you about the affair sooner, why is that?"

"Because she waited for the right moment, so she could put on a _big _show to try and humiliate me...and you know what? It worked! I'm a laughing stock now and almost all of the school knows about the scandal!" she waved her hands around to emphasize her point,

"I see, so regarding on your take of things, do you believe her accusations?" Molly went back to her seat and leaned back,

"I'm not really sure...I've never really known my father to be the type to...it might be true...considering all the times he'd skip out on us...I just thought he went to blow out some steam because of mom, but I guess he was just out blowing something else altogether," she sank further down into her seat

"Matilda, I understand what you're going through, I've seen plenty of kids here who've never really come to terms with the idea that one or both of their parents might be cheating or have cheated. Some take it by stride, others...well you're one of them. So for what it's worth, you have every right to be expressing your feelings, just not in a way that could prove harmful to others,"

"I just want my life to get back on track, I never imagined it would get this bad,"

"No problem will ever be fixed if you've given up, there's always a solution even if you sometimes don't see it. Just try to reevaluate yourself and see if you can at least face the Wilkins and give them an apology, and if they still go through with the charges, your mother's definitely going to get involved in this,"

"She's the _last_ person I ever want to get caught up in all of this...she's already going through enough to try and support me, we've just moved in with her parents; _my grandparents _for a place to stay...at least she's better off than when she was still with dad, but I think I'm the one giving her a hard time now," Matilda tried to fight back tears, but a few drops managed to escape and go down her cheeks, "and when she heard about what I did, she had a fit and practically beat me until I was bleeding out and locked me in my room!" she showed Molly the bruises on her arm.

"Matilda...you can't let any of that get you down, if you let yourself fall into a slump it won't fix anything. Why don't you try talking to your mother, why don't you bring her here next time and maybe we can discuss it more reasonably,"

Matilda shot up and swallowed hard, "I...she'll kill me if I tell her to come here, she'll just think it's because I got into trouble again,"

"No she won't! Look if it's any better I'll call her myself and clear up any misunderstandings that there might be and we'll sort out all the rest, what do you say?"

Matilda hesitated as there was a lump in her throat that was bigger than the last one, she really didn't want to risk another beating from her mother, even if it was just being called to the school for counseling.

Suddenly, she was broken out of her thoughts by a pair of arms, "It's going to be okay Matilda...you'll see," Molly reassured her before drawing the troubled girl closer to her.

Matilda never really felt a warm embrace before, considering that her mother hardly paid any attention to her and her father was almost never home. If one of them ever did manage to hug her, it would always feel empty.

This was different, as it was somewhat unfamiliar yet she knew what it was, she felt safe and relaxed.

"Are...are you pregnant?" Matilda asked as she noticed Molly's burgeoning stomach,

"Yeah, and would you believe i just got married to my boyfriend?," Molly replied light heartedly,

"Are you...happy with him?"

"Mm, you could say that," Matilda scratched the back of her head,

"What's he like?" Matilda asked as Molly went back to her chair,

"In a word, he's kind of a dork," a small grin formed on her lips, causing Matilda to laugh,

"But he's an okay guy, when push comes to shove, I know I can always rely on him, and him on me. It's a 50-50 kind of deal Matilda, so long as two people understand and have each others' backs, they'll always go through tough times with smiles on their faces. I know I sound like I'm bragging and being a bit cliché, but let me tell you that there really is no such thing as a fairy tale romance, at least not in a way that we're usually familiar with. There aren't any princesses trapped in lonely old castles or prince charmings on white stallions to rescue them, only people like you and me, people with aspirations, dreams and the will to try and make all of them a reality, but we have flaws too, and it's because of those flaws that we're grounded, they teach us to be better and learn what we can do with our lives for the future, so you see, it isn't the end for you, because you're still _alive_...and that's more than you could ever hope for,"

…

"He must be some lucky guy," Matilda said, this time with a genuinely happy smile on her face, even if it was just small,

"Oh I wouldn't say that, I normally have him under my thumb, and I'd just smack him if he ever got out of hand, but that usually drives him to ask for more,"

"Okay this conversation is getting _way_ too awkward than it already was...so can I go now?" Matilda laughed as she stood from her seat,

"Yes you can go, just don't forget to tell your mom about our appointment, alright? And don't worry, I'll clear everything with her," she gently shook Matilda's hand as she escorted her out of her office, but not before making sure that she sign her name on the record,

"Thanks Mrs. Read...for...giving me something to live for,"

"No prob, and friends call me Molly, so you can now too," she patted Matilda on the shoulder before the girl proceeded to go home.

"She seemed happy, way to take another one for the team Moll," Claudia said as she looked up from her desk,

"Yeah...but you know what? That girl has real problems, hopefully I'll be able to help her get through them," Molly said as she leaned on the jack russel terrier's desk, "Yeah, but what about her legal problems?" Claudia asked,

"I'll try to cooperate with the principal to have a discussion with the Wilkins, hopefully if I can arrange for those two to reconcile nobody will have to go to court for this,"

"In other words, you're going to strong-arm the old nutter to give in to your demands,"

Molly cracked her right knuckles nonchalantly, "It's what I _love_ to do!"


	17. Chapter 17

"Typical?"

Molly and Arthur were sitting outside of the _Erba Piccante_ enjoying a basket of garlic loaves.

On their lunch break, Molly called in for her husband to meet with her on such an unexpected notice to discuss of her meeting with Matilda earlier that morning.

"That's the only word I can describe her life to be Arthur. Normally it would involve abusive parents, but apparently in her case one of those that hardly ever give notice to her at all, at least on an emotional level,"

"Is Matilda alright?" Arthur said with an air of concern,

"She's dealing with it as best as she can, but at least I was able to give her hope," Molly took a small bite out of her loaf,

"That's good, by the way what about her parents? Have you contacted them?"

"They were called into the Principle's office a day after the incident, but only today was I able to push in an appointment with Matilda, apparently her parents thought it would be best to have her seek treatment with a professional therapist, pragmatic as it was, I could tell that she was still struggling,"

"For that to happen...what about the girl that was hurt, Clarice was it?" Arthur took another loaf from the basket,

"She's fine, but that depends on how you want to interpret it. She's awfully ticked at what Matilda did to her, but I can understand how she gets at it. I was able to have a talk with her a few days before Matilda, she's alright, it's just her attitude that's pretty busted up,"

"Did you call her out on it?" Arthur took a swig from his glass of Pepsi,

"Yes, and needless to say she wasn't all too happy about it either, but given how she's practically in the same slump as Matilda right now I don't blame her, and the mess is only going to get worse,"

"Her folks splitting up too?"

"Nothing for me to confirm right now, but it's inevitable judging by how freely her mother's been sidetracking on her marriage,"

"Aren't you digging into this a little too deep?"

"You would too if it was your kids,"

"You're right, but that would mean treading on dangerous territory, I can only imagine what their futures will be like,"

"If I don't do something those kids will most likely end up worse for wear to even have one,"

"Look at it this way Molly, both Matilda and Clarice are connected in some way with one another, wouldn't it be just simple to have them reconcile and then address the issue involving their parents,"

"You know just as well as I do that those kinds of situations are never as easy as they seem, if I'm going to help them, I have to do it in such a way that everyone gets what they want, but I'm sure it'll still end with a loss somehow...and depending on how those two will take it, it's going to leave them with even less than what they already have,"

"Necessary sacrifices? This is high school were talking about honey!" Arthur took another bite from his loaf,

"Yes, but the demographics have drastically changed now Arthur, nothing's the same anymore...and all we can do right now is go with it and pray that we survive,"

"...Just makes you want to go back huh?"

"Only back then I'd still be hounding you through the school hallway for pouring milk on my shirt,"

"That was an accident, you were right in front of me and I didn't even see you!"

"And I apologized for that, believe me. So how long did that black eye I gave you stick?"

"2 days, man you sure could punch back then!"

"Makes you wonder how we even got together in the first place huh?"

"I don't know, life's funny that way I guess," Arthur rubbed his right eye, reminiscing the experience,

"I hope you're not implying that it was fate?" Molly said as she reached for another loaf,

"I don't really believe in fate Molly, to me, when it comes to life, things just happen because of certain forces that collaborate to fulfill an action. It's not random, but it's not pre-determined either, there's always a how and why, even if we don't see it most of the time, it's there,"

"Oh yeah? I remember the Valentine's Day when Rattles gave me a musical greeting card that had a ring inside. After that I was sure he was the guy for me, until, well you know,"

"When was that?"

"If I remember correctly it was during my last year of high school,"

"...Um...did you by any chance catch any cards in your locker?"

"Not much, just some friendlies, why?"

"Mine was one of them," Arthur took another sip from his glass,

Molly almost choked on a roll, "Say what? Which one?"

"It was anonymous, but you probably didn't give it much thought,"

"What about Francine?" Molly leaned in,

"I gave _all_ of my friends a card Moll, and there wasn't anything particularly romantic about them at the time, with the exception of Francine of course,"

"I read through all of mine, and I still remember some, can you jog the memory for me?"

"I can hardly remember it myself Moll, so that's a no go, besides our break's almost over, let's talk more about this later okay? We still have a dinner to go to, remember?"

"Yeah..."

Both returned immediately to their jobs after paying for their food, leaving the rest of the day uneventful like any other.

The hours whisked by in no time, and before they knew it, they were already in the driveway of Molly's family home.

"You think your parents will cut me some slack on my outfit?" Arthur asked while unlatching his seat belt, taking into considerations that all he had on him was a blue flannel shirt, blue jeans and red sneakers.

"They're not that uptight when it comes to those kinds of things hon, at least you're not dirty," Molly on the other hand was more dressed for work, considering her occupation.

"Thanks, I think,"

Arthur had interacted with Molly's parents many times before, and were already familiar with them even before he started dating her, not to mention their mothers were friends through James and D.W.. However, in terms of similarities, the couple could honestly agree that that's where it all ended.

His parents were at least more laid back, while her's on the other hand were a bit more on the conservative side, "Arthur my boy, what brings the new addition to the family to our humble abode!" Mr. MacDonald called out with open arms, before drawing his son-in-law into a bear hug,

"_Omf_, um-nice to see you again too Mr. MacDonald," Arthur huffed out as he almost lost his breath there for a moment,

"Please, it's Carl, no need to be so formal anymore son, and Molly, why didn't you both come here sooner, we've been itching to draw out that prime rib we bought from Frisco, you wouldn't believe the size of it, and at a bargain too,"

"So dad, how was Boracay? I haven't really been given much of the details,"

"It was amazing, you two should book a reservation in one of the hotels there for your honeymoon, I have a list of recommendations if you like,"

"We'll get to that later dad, hi mom!" Molly caught sight of her mother who emerged from the door before hugging her and gave a peck on the cheek, "How are you dear? Doing well I hope," her gaze went down to her daughter's stomach, as it was more noticeable now under the vest,

"It's fine mom, is James here?" she rubbed it gently as they were being escorted inside,

"Regretfully, he couldn't make it," Lora replied,

"What did he say?" Molly couldn't help but be a little disappointed over her bother's absence, since she had hoped for all of them to be there for the occasion.

"He's very apologetic, and he does wish that he was here, but he's still preoccupied with his course in IT,"

"It's alright, I understand," Molly said as she hanged her jacket on a rack and placed her purse on the drawer next to it.

Dinner proceeded swimmingly, with conversation prioritizing over the food, "So Arthur, any plans on sealing the deal with my daughter? You guys will have to get into a church eventually,"

"Actually, we've been planning on making it a garden wedding, you know, because a church just sounds so cramped these days. We thought it would be best to have it done on a more spacious venue," Arthur said as he sliced through his meat,

Carl raised an eyebrow, "And have you agreed to this Molly?"

"It was more of a given actually. This isn't a matter of choice based on popularity dad, it's lighter on the budget, and planning for it will be a _whole_ lot less stressful than if it was done in a church,"

"I can relate to that, your mom here almost went bonkers before we tied the knot," he pointed to the woman next to him, lightheartedly of course,

"It was all because of you dear, it stands to reason that you were the one that almost didn't show up at the altar,"

"I was late for a _good_ reason honey, wouldn't you know that Ned was low on gas at the time and he didn't even bother to refuel a hell of a lot earlier," Carl took a forkful of the prime rib into his mouth, "We were almost at each others' throats if it weren't for the fact that I was getting married, and I didn't want to mess my best suit,"

"You think you had it bad? Flora almost made me lose my wedding ring, it was a good thing we found it even before the ceremony started," she rolled her eyes in slight aggravation,

"So I guess there really _isn_'_t_ such a thing as the perfect wedding after all," Molly took a sip from her wineglass,

"There certainly isn't! Not like on those soap operas, what I wouldn't give to just drive a drill through the screen and given them a piece of my mind eh?" Carl chuckled at his joke, causing Lora to roll her eyes, "I can't help but wonder what I saw in you Carl, but for what it's worth I was young back then,"

"Mother, I can sympathize with you. Arthur really isn't the kind of man I expected to spend the rest of my life with, but considering that I didn't really help myself on the matter, here he is now," she criticized lightheartedly,

"I resent that remark, and I don't seem to like your tone, not to mention you're too controlling from time to time that I practically ask myself everyday _exactly what _I was thinking when I fell in love with you in the first place!"

"Is that so? Well that makes two of us, why I even waste my time being with you when there are a lot of insensitive, brutish, chauvinistic, yet highly more privileged men than you out there is beyond me!" the grin on their faces betrayed the manner of their conversation.

Molly's parents could only be amused by this display, "You know, you two could really do for some counseling," Lora said sarcastically,

"Christ, don't even start with that mother! D.W. pulled the same crack at me and Arthur when we were at their house and unlike you, she almost wasn't kidding," Molly shook her head in contempt,

"Yeah, she's always had a way of making people pull their hairs out," Arthur took a sip from his wineglass,

"Sorry dear, so how's work?"

"Oh you know, saving the world one teenager at a time,"

"Honey, I can tell that you're frustrated, I can see it as plainly as I see your father sneaking another spoonful of potatoes _even though he_'_s supposed to be on a diet_!" she turned to her husband and glared at him before he could land a big glob onto his plate, he relented meekly and placed the serving spoon back into the bowl.

"Well, to put it mildly, two of the students at my school are dealing with a crisis in each of their lives right now,"

Molly further explained the situation to her parents, with varying reactions from each, "Well, if there's any word I can sum that up into, it'd be 'typical', plain and simple!" Carl breathed his disapproval,

"Wow, and here I thought your mom would say that Moll," Arthur said surprised,

"I'll have you know young man that my Carl here has been my one and only shoulder to lean on for over 30 years, and I'm not about to let anyone else have him," Lora patted her husband as she complimented him,

"Oh you're too kind dear, and for any man who even tries to put on the moves on my Lora here better have their head screwed on tight if they know what's good for them," he drew and waved a fist out, "_I guess now I know where Molly gets her attitude from_," Arthur mused to himself,

"Easy there rents, you're starting to scare _my _man over here," Molly said as she got up and cleared her tableware,

"Ever been in a fight before Arthur?" Carl asked abruptly,

Caught off guard, Arthur was a bit taken aback by the question, but still managed to come up with an answer, "Yes, as a matter of fact, my wife a.k.a. your daughter can attest to that!" he pointed at Molly who was already at the sink washing her plate,

"He started it, messing up my shirt with a carton of milk and I gave him a black eye for it," Carl could only suppress a chortle, "Didn't you at least fight back son?"

"I ran as fast as I could to get away from her, and when she caught up with me, she grabbed me by the collar, dragged me into a narrow hallway and gave me the shiner of my life! You all recall that little incident I assume?" Arthur said as he looked through each of them, none too enthusiastic about that memory.

"Oh yes, and we apologized profusely for that, didn't we Molly?" Lora asked her daughter as she was gathering the boys' plates,

"Huh?" Molly glanced behind her before going back to washing, Arthur took notice and just rolled his eyes.

"But that's all in the past now son, we're at least thankful that our daughter ended up with someone like you," Carl said,

"Hey, what about Rattles? He was a good boyfriend too," Molly said as she left the sink to her mother,

"Yes, yes and I don't deny that, but I still can't fully get over what he did to you," Carl's voice deepened a bit as he was reminded of her daughter's ex.

"For what it's worth, I've forgiven him a long time ago dad, and like you said, stuff like that is all in the past, and I'd like to be more open for the future now thank you very much," Molly sat back next to her husband,

"So what are you two planning to do next?" Lora asked while drying her hands,

"Go back to our places I guess, although I could stay with Arthur for tonight,"

"No problem there honey, and as always I'll drive," Arthur said as he dug into his pocket to procure his keys,

"Oh but you two just got here, and we don't even have anything to give you guys for the trip," Lora said plaintively,

"I guess we could stay here a bit longer mother, but we still have work tomorrow, and I have to make a few phone calls," Molly said as she got up from her seat,

"Alright, but if anything comes up, you know where to find us, oh and regarding those reservations, here's a brochure to look over if you're ever interested" Carl said as he handed them the paper and led them to the door, "Thanks dad!" she pecked him on the cheek and gave her mother an embrace.

After gathering their things, the couple made it out of the driveway and back on the road, "Did you have a good time at my folks Arthur?"

"How did I not!? I'd say I had a great time with you and your parents,"

"So...are you going to tell me about the card?"

"The what?" Arthur raised an eyebrow,

"The Valentine's you slipped me?"

"Oh...well it was just a copy along with all of the others that I gave to the guys," Arthur said as he neared the parking lot of the building,

"What did it say?"

"Wishin' you a Happy Valentine's" Arthur said nonchalantly, while cruising for a space to park,

"Well, that's not how I remember mine," Molly smiled and looked out the window,

"What? That's what I wrote...wait-what?"

"I finally remembered what yours said, it was in your handwriting after all,"

Arthur stopped the car when he finally settled with a vacant spot, "So, care to remind me what it was?"

"It was...'Have a wonderful time at college. I'll miss you!'," Molly turned to look at him, "...You forgave me?"

"The black eye you gave me a few weeks before that didn't matter much after the pain went away, I _know_ you after all...I just wanted to wish you the best," he looked at her earnestly, then moved closer to give her a kiss, which she was all to happy to return.


	18. Chapter 18

March 11, 2013, 8:30 am

As promised, Molly had phoned both Matilda and Clarice's parents, telling them all to report to her office along with their daughters.

However, Molly was already feeling as though she had bitten off more than she could chew, as she had not expected for the atmosphere of the room to sink so deeply, she was able to steal a glance at the girls before going back to their records which were resting comfortably in front of her.

There was an alarmingly tense feeling of discomfort as both families seemed to be struggling to control themselves, "You may all be wondering why you're here...actually, I suppose it's safe to say that we're all very much aware of the reason," Molly eyed them all, careful not to break any sense of calm to avoid any unnecessary conflict.

"Now, I understand that each of your daughters have come into conflict with one another due to a... unfortunate misunderstanding," Molly leaned forward, "Now I know that it may seem as if that I have no personal involvement with your affairs, but I am simply here to absolve some unreconciled tension, if just to make the interaction between your daughters more bearable,"

"If you're implying that I'll let my daughter apologize to that bitch and her puppy, you're barking up the wrong tree Mrs. Read!" Matilda's mother, Valeria Allen spoke up abruptly, causing Parker Wilkins to glare daggers at her,

"Valeria _please_, this isn't the time or place!" Frederick Allen whispered,

Valeria turned to her soon-to-be ex-husband, "Who are _you_ to try and talk me down Fred! You better shut up or _I swear I'll have my lawyer take more than you could ever afford at court_!" she pointed her finger dangerously at him, her breathing fluctuating as she tried to calm herself back down.

"As I was saying, I would very much like your daughters to make amends, but considering the...unique circumstances you all are involved in right now, it would be preferable for the problems of the adults to be abstained from the lives of the children's," Molly's voice rose a bit, trying to make her point be heard,

"With all due respect Mrs. Read, but Mrs. Allen does have a point, there really isn't anything more that we have to discuss here, so I would very much appreciate it if you were to let us go for I still have an appointment later at work...I had to cancel my 8:00 because of this inconvenience," Victor Wilkins said dully, with barely any emotion.

"I apologize Mr. Wilkins, but this is simply my attempt to have these two achieve closure. You can bicker amongst yourselves, but that's what counselors are for, but your daughters are another matter altogether. What I am trying to convey is that they don't deserve to bear your burden...if you would just let me have them come to an agreement, then that'll be a load off your backs. Now, Matilda, Clarice, have you two calmed down enough to let bygones be bygones?" she looked at each of them in the eye.

Clarice glanced at Matilda who was seated next to her, careful not to turn her head so as not to let her notice, "Would it...be okay if I just _don't_!" her voice slow and raspy, but mired with contempt.

Molly's right ear twitched up, "Clarice, I thought we discussed about this. Matilda had no idea about the affair, so you had no right to berate her for something that she wasn't even involved in, and if you hadn't she would have never retaliated like she did, and both of you wouldn't even be in this mess in the first place,"

"_I. had. my. forehead. stitched!_ You can tell _her_ to apologize first, I couldn't care less either way!" the rage was evident in Clarice's voice as she pointed at the mended gash. Molly turned to Matilda and nodded, with the latter responding in kind.

She stood up from her seat and faced classmate, "I'm sorry...I really didn't mean to hurt you Clarice...I just want to put this all behind us," her voice was gentle and sincere, which managed to surprise the other girl, "W-well that's it-end of story, are we done?"

"Not quite yet, you still haven't given your apology Clarice," Molly said firmly,

Clarice groaned, "For crying out loud this isn't kindergarten Mrs. Read, I'm not going to apologize to her for doing this to me!"

Molly stood up from her seat, "Regardless of who started it or how it ended, you girls shouldn't go out of your way into hating each other! What happened has happened, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have a good reason behind it, and that is to make sure you girls spend the rest of your year in this school without having to get into physical altercations again!"

Clarice swallowed hard, her injury aching even more as she looked at her attacker, "Alright...I'll do as you say...but that doesn't mean we're friends or anything! After this I'll be wanting her to stay the fuck away from me, got it!?" Matilda nodded slightly in agreement,

Getting up slowly from her chair, she turned to face Matilda; the bruises on her face still visible, "I'm sorry for humiliating you like that!" and with that she sat back down, crossing her arms and turning away, followed shortly by Matilda who sat back down herself,

"Fair enough, now if you'll excuse us Mrs. Read, we'll be going now," Valeria rose up from her seat and was about to leave, "Wait just a moment Mrs. Allen, there's still the matter concerning your daughter,"

Valeria turned to look at Molly, "What _about_ my daughter?"

Molly rose up from her chair, "She's been telling me some very interesting things about her home life with you...Matilda, would you be so kind as to show everyone your arm," Molly asked as she went near the girl, who was wearing a long sleeved sweater,

"Wh-_what are you doing_?!" Matilda whispered, "_Trust me, I know what I'm doing_," Molly reassured her,

"What are you talking abou-Matilda sit back down!" Valeria snapped as she noticed Matilda standing up, "Mrs. Allen, I really don't think you should be doing that in front of me, I _strongly _suggest that you don't!" Molly warned her sternly,

"Is that a threat Mrs. Read? I could have you reprimanded for that you know!" Valeria retaliated,

"Go ahead, I don't mind, in fact, I might even have to accuse you of domestic abuse, isn't that right Matilda?" she put her hand on the girl's shoulder, who nodded slowly and proceeded to raise her sleeve to reveal bruises and a bandage, "Well would you look at that, I wasn't crazy after all, and those doctors told me I was touched in the head!" Molly joked,

"This is ridiculous, Matilda we're leaving!" Valeria grabbed her daughter's hand before she could react, but Molly managed to rebuke her, "Are you sure about that? It might not be a good idea, what with the evidence in your hands and all," at this, Valeria stopped and paused for a moment, before slowly walking back to her seat,

"Don't _you_ have a say about how your daughter's been treated Mr. Allen?" Molly looked at him, a tall bloodhound in a business suit.

Frederick just shrugged, "If you ask me, she should have just stayed with me instead of her,"

Molly cringed a bit, "That's odd, from what I've observed, you don't even seem to be the least bit concerned," Molly crossed her arms, but Frederick just continued, "Don't take this the wrong way, I already suspected Val of mistreating Tildy, so I-"

"Don't try to vindicate yourself from this Fred, if you hadn't been pimping out on that whore-" Valeria was cut off by a slap,

"How_ dare_ you!" Parker's anger seethed, this caused Valeria to lash back at her, with both women grabbing each other by the hair, before falling down on the floor where Parker proceeded to punch at Valeria's face.

Their husbands and daughters, shocked by the sudden; though not unexpected, scuffle, backed away from them to avoid getting caught in their conflict, while Molly just calmly walked towards them, "Ladies please, this is hardly the time or place for such a display,"

"_Back off you bitch_!" Parker screamed as she tried to strangle Valeria with her hands.

Molly just rolled her eyes and walked towards her filing cabinet. Breathing in, she curled her right hand into a tight fist and slowly retracted it before delivering a surprisingly quick and powerful punch, which managed to mar a rather deep impression into the metal, which sprang everyone else into attention, and signaling both women to stop fighting and go back to their seats, much to their consent.

Seeing this, she casually pulled her fist out before mockingly shaking the pain off, "Well, now that I have your undivided attention, I would like to continue in pointing out Matilda's mistreatment, I would also like to point out that because of her father and Clarice's mother that your problems began in the first place, but like I said, I don't give two shits about how it started, all I care right now is how to end it," Molly said as she sat back into her chair,

"Who gave you the right to meddle into our affairs? It's our lives, it's our problems, we're left to deal with them ourselves, not you!" Victor spoke out, this time a bit more forcefully.

"Oh really? Well as a concerned citizen it _is_ my right, and my obligation as a guidance counselor to help the students, and if I have to go the extra mile by calling child services, then so be it," she dismissed him nonchalantly with a wave of her hand,

"You're not in any position to be making such ludicrous statements, and as sickened as I am to admit it, Victor's right!" Frederick said begrudgingly, earning a glare from the man.

Molly grimaced, "Perhaps, but judging from what I've seen and heard today, plus the information provided by your daughters, it would seem you're letting your issues get way out of hand, not to mention the crap they've been forced to endure,"

"Like I said before, this is _ridiculous_! I could have you sued!" Valeria followed,

Molly propped her head up, "Under what grounds?"

Lost for words, Valeria just grunted and sank further into her seat. Molly continued, "You don't know me, and I certainly don't know you people well enough to even pretend that I understand your situation, what I'm most concerned about is that you're letting your kids endure the pain that comes with your marital problems,"

The room was silent for a moment, before Valeria spoke up again, "Fine...fine! Have it your way then, but I'm still going through with the divorce and fight for Matilda's custody," she proceeded to get up, and this time Molly didn't stop her.

"Well that goes double for me!" Parker said as she was also ready to leave with her husband, who already knew what she meant, but managed to maintain his stoicism.

"Hang on, I'll be needing to get some last minute remarks from Matilda and Clarice, if you don't mind of course," Molly said as she was rearranging her papers,

The parents remained silent and continued to make their exit, but the girls stayed behind and walked up to her desk, "Now I just want both of you to be clear to each other, no hard feelings, no grudges, just good ol' fashioned kiss and make up, but minus the kiss!"

"I guess..." Clarice agreed, with Matilda just nodding silently.

"So are you guys going to be okay?"

They didn't answer immediately, but Molly knew that the pain was still there, and despite it not being her intention, it probably had gotten worse, "No offense Mrs. R, but you should have just butted out," Clarice said roughly,

"I know, but I just couldn't stand by and watch you guys go down any further,"

"I was already down, I couldn't care less if my parents would split up, at least I still have them...for now!" Clarice sighed in exasperation, while Matilda still hadn't said a word, "Matilda, are you alright?"

"...It's just that, I never really wanted this to get too far...this is all my fault,"

"No, that's not true! You never asked for this! Look, things may seem bad now, but I promise I'll help you, _both_ of you!" Molly assured them, but it did little to lighten their mood.

"Thanks Mrs. Read, but maybe we should just take it from here," Matilda said slowly,

"Wait, don't give up hope yet! I promise things _will_ work out!" but her pleas fell on deaf ears, "See you around Mrs. R," Matilda's voice trailed off as she turned away.

It was at that moment that Molly felt a twist in her stomach, guilt had begun to overtake her as she saw the girls closing the door of her office.

A few minutes later, Claudia entered with a steaming, hot cup of coffee, "Bad day boss?"

"You don't know the half of it," Molly groaned as she took the cup and sipped from it, "...Claudia, I think I may have just made the biggest, shittiest mistake that I have ever made in my adult life,"

"Well it could have been worse, they would have called the police, and yeah, don't think I didn't hear what was going on in he-_what the hell_!" Claudia caught sight of the indentation left behind on the filing cabinet.

"_Jesus Christ Molly_! This is the second one since last month! Do you think the school's _made_ of money!?" she complained as she examined the damage.

Molly didn't pay attention, as she was still wondering about the possible repercussions her meddling had wrought.

Claudia continued to vent her frustration, "Hey She-Hulk! Did you even hear what I just said, are you listeni-" she stopped after turning toward Molly, who just continued to stare at her cup. Claudia's anger quickly shifted into concern "Moll? Hey, are you okay?"

…

"No,"

* * *

**I will be on hiatus for approximately a few weeks because of training for my new job. Don't forget to review after reading (which is optional), because it never hurts to know what my readers might think. Thank you and God Bless you all!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I know I said last chapter that I'd be on hiatus, but as it turned out, I still had enough time to make this one to try and clear up the arc I made. Enjoy and don't forget to R&R!**

* * *

_March 16, 2013_

"You shouldn't be beating yourself up over it!" Arthur said as he was cutting up some vegetables in Molly's kitchen,

Molly was sitting on the table, propping her head up while staring out the window as the morning shown brightly through the glass and illuminated the room, "You weren't there hon, you should have seen those girls, the looks on their faces...me and my crappy pride!"

"Honey, I know that you're feeling awful now, but being this down isn't going to make it any better, now, have some carrot sticks while I finish this salad," Arthur placed a small plate of carrot sticks next to his wife before getting back to peeling the lettuce.

The rest of the week had been rather depressing for Molly, as she had heard from Matilda's classmates that her mother was planning on moving out of Elwood with her during the holidays after the settlement.

This prompted Molly to confront the young woman one more time, if only to confirm it from her.

_March 15, 2013_

Molly had asked for Matilda to go back to her office in order to talk about what had happened on Monday and how she was doing,

"Yes, my mom's been making plans to move to Quebec, a friend of her's been offering her a job there, and she could really use the money aside from what she's going to get from dad...Mrs. Read, I just want you to know...I really appreciated what you did there for me and Clarice...it's just been a really rough time for me,"

"Matilda, I had no intention of making things worse for you, believe me. So how has your mother been treating you?"

"It's okay, after the lecture you gave her, I think she's been trying to pay more attention to me. She actually made me my favorite breakfast this morning, and she even gave me a kiss when I left for school. It's...been a long time since she's done any of those things for me,"

Molly smiled, "And Clarice, has she been giving you any trouble?"

"She's...been keeping her distance, she doesn't really talk to me aside from the occasional glances, but other than that, nothing," there was a sense of melancholy in her voice, and Molly noticed that she was avoiding eye contact,

"Matilda, I just want you to know how sorry I am...you know I never meant for it to get out of hand, you already had enough problems without somebody like me mucking it up!"

This caught Matilda's attention, "No, Mrs. Read I don't blame you..."

"Matilda, stop! Look, I think it's about time we move past being sorry and try to look at the big picture. How are you handling the divorce?"

"Actually, I felt lousy about it at first...but oddly enough, it's not really bothering me at all that much anymore, only...I just wish they did it a lot sooner,"

Molly leaned back in her seat, "Why would you say that?"

"I just thought that maybe if they had done it when I was still a kid, and I didn't understand why they were doing it...then I don't think I'd mind it at all now, and maybe it wouldn't hurt as much," Matilda fiddled with her hands as she stared at the floor,

"If your circumstances were a lot different, you wouldn't even be saying that. Let's look at this kind of scenario Matilda. What if you're parents were the loving kind, where you had an ideally happy childhood with your parents who were very much in love with each other, and the thought of divorce never even seemed to cross your minds. Then as the years go by you'd notice that gradually, things start to change and you don't seem to feel the love anymore, your mom and dad increasingly become distant for their own reasons, and when the time finally comes, how would you feel?"

…

"...Terrible I guess...probably a lot worse,"

"Exactly, and since your parents were always distant, you didn't develop much of an attachment to them as you would have otherwise," Molly stood up from her chair and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, "But Matilda, you should remember that they're still your parents, and you owe them that much not to hate them, you can resent them all you want, I wouldn't blame you, because you have every right to feel bad about it, but you'll have to move on eventually and forgive them, didn't we already have this talk before? And don't think I don't know how you're really feeling inside, I sometimes see you throwing some of your garbage around the hallways, and scribbling on the walls and some of the lockers,"

Matilda's cheeks went red, "Oh...I-I'm sorry about that,"

"Well, for that, you should be!" Molly smiled at her,

"Yeah, okay, and thanks," Matilda smiled,

"No problem, also, it couldn't hurt to talk to Clarice again, if only to check on how she's doing,"

Matilda frowned a little, "I tried to, but she kept ignoring me...I guess she's still pretty beaten up over...I heard her parents are starting to go through their divorce...I can only imagine how she's taking it,"

"Probably no better than you I presume, but to be quite honest, just for the sake of avoiding another problem, I think it's bestif you just let things be. If there's any mess left, I'll clean it up,"

"Thanks again, so I guess I won't be seeing you anymore,"

"If you want, we could email or even go on Facebook, I'll always be your friend Matilda,"

The smile on Matilda's face was all the assurance that she needed that she was going to be fine.

Suddenly, Claudia entered the room, "Molly, the Principal will be needing you in her office now!"

Molly stood from her seat, "Alright, I'll be there in a sec,"

Matilda grew worried, "What does the Principal want with you?"

"After the way I handled your cases, the Principal's been having a fit, this isn't the first time you know. So anyway, I'll be needing you to go back to class Matilda, thank you for coming,"

"No problem...good luck Mrs. Read," she gently waved a hand as she went out the door, which Molly returned in kind,

"(Sigh) _Here I go again, bet she's really ticked this time, still, I deserve it_," taking a few folders out of her desk drawer, she walked out of her office and gave them to Claudia, "If anyone comes for their appointment, tell them they can reschedule with me,"

"You think she'll take it easy on you this time?" she took the folders from her and added them over a neat pile,

"I hope not, I've really screwed up this one," and with that, she made her way out of the main office and out into the hallway, but not before seeing Claudia saluting her, "Cut it out!"

_8 months ago_

"Ms. MacDonald, I understand that you were involved in a fight with one of the student's father," Principal Lee said as she looked out of her window.

"Yes ma'am," Molly was seated by the sofa next to the coffee table, sitting up straight with hands on her knees and staring at the wall,

"Can I ask the reaosn why you did that?" her voice was calm, but still carried with it a firm tone,

"It was uncalled for Principal Lee, but admittedly, I was provoked,"

"Regardless of the reason, this incident will not go unpunished, to avoid the law getting involved you will be suspended for 15 days without pay,"

"Of course ma'am,"

Principal Norma Lee was a thin woman, a cat with graying hair and a few wrinkles, but still attractive as far as women of her age went.

Strict but fair, she always ran a tight operation when it came to the school, and now she was attending to one of her duties, namely to give the young woman in front of her a piece of her mind.

She turned around until her eyes rested on the rabbit, "(Sigh) Molly, I really expected better from you, you showed such promise when you came here for the job, you had a way with the kids, but this...what you did was hardly surprising. It's like high school all over again, you made a regular habit of attracting unwanted attention,"

Molly remained silent, "When you were still in my mathematics class, you had average marks like the rest of your classmates, but you were quiet, you didn't talk much to them except with your friends, but you'd occasionally get into fights with the others, and I was actually quite surprised when you came back to replace Ms. Gadfly,"

"I've grown from that phase Principal Lee...at least I thought I did," she ran her hand through her hair in frustration,

"So I guess this isn't anything new, during your time here as a student you were suspended twice if I recall, the first time it was because you vandalized Mr. Gunter's car,"

"With all due respect ma'am, he was a bona fide ass," Molly scoffed,

"Yes, yes, I know, and we had him fired afterwards,...there was something really wrong with that man," Principal Lee rubbed her eyes, "I take it you have a good reason to justify your action towards Mr. Oswald?" her voice had risen as she stared out at the window again,

"If I tell you the truth, would it make any difference?" she looked at the Principal,

"It'll at least try to give me a good reason not to fire you,"

...

"(Sigh) It was when I was at the parking lot, I was going to get a taxi home when I passed by his car where he was waiting for me. He said he only wanted to talk...at first,"

"The two of you met when you counseled his son Greg correct? He was actually quite grateful after you helped his boy out,"

"A little too grateful," her grip on the armrest tightened,

"Greg had...issues, he was regularly abused because most of the school thought he was gay, if it weren't for you, we would have had a classic suicide scenario,"

"Greg _is _gay, and he kept it under wraps until someone found out, and his bullies hounded him for any reason just to get kicks,"

"And his father?" Norma leaned in,

"Over-affectionate would be the best way to describe him, at least he was more civil when we were still in my office that day, and I really tried to talk him down gently, but I guess he didn't hear me when I said no several times,"

"Well, this makes it your first strike Molly, so I just want to be clear with you that if I ever catch word of another incident with your name on it, that'll probably the last strike you'll ever get," her voice was clear as it was stern, and Molly got the message loud and clear.

_End of flashback..._

"Good morning Principal Lee, you wished to speak with me?" Molly said calmly,

"Sit down Molly," she said flatly, but her voice was hard,

Once Molly was seated, Norma waited for a moment and turned to look at her visitor, "I warned you...didn't I?"

"...Indeed you did ma'am,"

"What exactly were you thinking when you pulled that stunt?" the calm instantly disappeared as she bolted up from her chair and paced around Molly who was seated once again at the sofa, "What I was thinking, was that I was going to help two girls with their problems,"

"Do you have any idea how outraged the Wilkins and Allens were because of how you treated them?"

"Yes,"

"_Suspension_! You got that Molly!? I don't want to hear the how or the why but you're suspended for a full 30 days until this whole thing dies down!" this time, Lee didn't hold back anything as she stood next to Molly and voiced out her rage,

"So I take it I'm not fired?" she said disappointingly, more about what she did than the punishment,

"You're lucky those students voiced their appeal for you," Lee pointed a finger at her,

"We-wait! Student_s, which students_?" Molly looked up in surprise,

"Both Clarice and Matilda came here very early in the morning and were able to partially convince me not to lay down the hammer on you, instead, they were clear that you only had the best intentions for them. However, you were misguided and you hardly did anything to improve their situation because of it, but somehow those girls were still grateful enough that you even bothered to at all that they didn't want you to go,"

Molly felt even more guilty, "Principal Lee, if I may, what I did was totally uncalled for and I deserve to be fired!"

"I don't disagree with you on that one Molly, but the way I see it, two girls who would have that much resolve to defend you deserve my consideration, _but I warn you Molly_! _One more –_ _ONE MORE AND YOU_'_RE OUT_! _YOU HEAR ME_!?"

Molly remained silent, "Get out of my office,"

"Yes ma'am," and with a heavy heart, she went out the door to return to her office.

_After school..._

As the bell rang loudly and the students were ready to leave, Molly was standing by the doorway of the girls' classroom. Seeing that the girls were about to leave, she called out to them, "Matilda, Clarice, can I have a minute with you,"

They immediately dropped their bags by their desks and walked up to her. The teacher Ms. Gregory, intervened, "What seems to be the trouble here Molly?"

"I just want to talk with these girls Margaret, that is, if you don't mind of course," she waited for the aardvark to answer, who was shifting her eyes at each of them,

"Oh...um, I see, well alright, just be sure to lock up once you guys leave," and with that she left the three of them to talk.

"Okay, what's the big deal! You guys just had to go to the principal and speak on my behalf, didn't you?"

"Well, you tried to help us out, I guess we owe you _that_ much," Clarice said, followed by a timid Matilda, "Uh, surprise?"

"So I guess you guys are cool with each other now?"

"Yes, a little," Matilda answered as she glanced at the girl next to her, "We're at least on amicable terms, and like I said, we're not exactly friends,"

"So why did you girls do it?" Molly crossed her arms,

Clarice moved forward, "We guess...getting fired over us really isn't worth what you went through Mrs. Read...I guess what we're trying to say is that, this school needs you, thing's have really changed since you got here,"

"Still, you never should have done that, really," Molly leaned against the teacher's table, "We just couldn't let it go, but at least you get to keep your job," Clarice said coolly,

"Wrong, I'm passing my resignation starting next week," hearing this, both girls exclaimed in shock, "_What_!"

"Mrs. Read, you can't be serious!?" Matilda asked,

"Listen girls, what I did could have gotten the school under hotter water, so I don't have any excuses for my actions," she was ready to leave when she was stopped by Matilda, "Mrs. Read, you can't resign!"

"And why not?"

"Our parents can do anything they want, but you did us a favor, nobody's ever done that much just to help us out!" Clarice said,

Molly paused for a moment, "I still feel like I should resign,"

"Mrs. Read, I'm sorry, but that's _bullshit_!" Matilda said out loud, causing her to clasp both hands on her mouth, which surprised the other two.

She then continued, "Like Clarice said this school needs you, y-you can't quit!"

She stared at them in silence, before replying as best she could, "I'll still need some time to think about it, but thank you for your concern," her voice trailed off as she was about to leave, followed shortly by the girls.

_Present..._

"I really think I should resign," Molly said as she took a bite out of a carrot stick,

"Are you really keen on doing that?" Arthur said as he tossed the salad, "What else is there? Maybe I'm really not cut out to work as a guidance counselor,"

"You've been given another chance, don't mess it up!" Arthur said as he added more dressing,

"What if I do?"

"You're not perfect, no big," Arthur said as he finished, "Well, here you go hon! A ceasar salad, have some!" he took out a small plate and served her a fresh batch, "Thanks, but I haven't felt this down since I almost dropped out of college,"

"It's not the end sweetheart, now eat your salad," Arthur said as he filled up his plate,

"Why do I get the feeling you're not feeling my pain?" Molly asked indignantly,

"Because I'm having a hard enough time enjoying my latest masterpiece without having to hear you mope, now eat your salad or so help me!" he replied with slight indignation,

"Yeah... salad's good," Molly said as she took a forkful, "Molly, you did what you thought was right, and you ended up failing, it happens, even to the best of people, it's natural,"

"Maybe you should take my place," Molly leaned closer to him, "Are you kidding? Going into the lion's pit!? I'd have to be crazy!"

"Fuck you!" Molly said as she tried to knock him off his chair, "Fuck _you_!" he retaliated, then kissed her on the cheek before going back to eating. Followed by Molly, who was still feeling the repercussions of her mistake.


	20. Chapter 20

_April 17, 2013_

Molly was sitting in her office casually doing work, having already gone through her 30-day suspension with only her ego and pride being diminished, but not her resolve to still try and atone for her mistake.

Having previously expected to go through the usual, Molly was slightly surprised to find that her workload had stockpiled while she was away.

A _lot_ of students needed counseling, and she was up to her neck in case files. Claudia entered her office without notice, with a few more folders to add to the fray, "Well boss, it's official, we've hit rock bottom. How are we ever going to go through these guys?"

Molly just shrugged and closed a folder she was reading, "We'll just make do Claud, although this time I'd better be more careful on how to handle the students I try to help,"

"I'll say, it was a good thing I was here to keep the place running, otherwise Norma would have used it as an extra lounge," Claudia remarked bluntly, while Molly ran through another folder, "So how was your vacation boss?"

Her eyes glued to work, Molly replied, "It was good, but I still felt bad about what I did,"

"Anything I should know?" Claudia asked as she sat on Molly's desk, "Nothing much, just went through everyday like I always did, and I went to the doctor a few times for check-ups,"

"And?"

"I'm in the green, no soap opera miscarriages for me, thank God,"

"Yeah what is up with that? It was a real tearjerker a few decades ago, but now it's just getting annoying," Claudia sighed as she stood up,

"Since when has our conversation shifted to that? Look, I've got work to do and as my secretary you have a lot of...secretary...stuff to do," Molly's cheeks went pink,

"Yeah, real articulate Moll. See you at lunch," Claudia waved to Molly as she exited the room, leaving the latter to her tasks.

_During lunch_

"So be honest with me, what _really_ happened to you these past few weeks?" Claudia asked as she was munching on a loaf, while Molly was nibbling on a carrot stick, "Like I said, nothing special. Just like everyday at home, trying to find anything to do that would get rid of my boredom and making sure that I go safely to term,"

"What about your husband?"

Molly froze when she heard Claudia ask that, and raised her gaze at the latter and tried to answer, but quickly rebuked herself and went back to eating.

Claudia however, noticed that she was being introverted, "What's with the face? Did you and your man get into some trouble?"

Feeling like she had no obligation to answer her, Molly continued eating her lunch, which consisted of mashed potatoes, a broccoli ravioli, and carrot sticks.

Never one to be left hanging, Claudia started to prod Molly's free hand with her fork, prompting the rabbit to grab it and glare at the dog,

"Come on! I'm a sucker for gossip, now give me some good dirt...please?" she pleaded with puppy dog eyes and pouty lips, none of which managed to budge Molly.

_After lunch_

Molly and Claudia were walking along the hallway back to their office, with the latter still being persistent, "Come on Moll, you're really not going to tell me? I won't hold it against you guys, I just want to know! Come on! Come on! Come on! Co-" she was stopped by an already irritated Molly who grabbed her by the collar, _"If I tell you_, _will you shut the hell up_!?"

The rage evident in her voice, Claudia replied unflinchingly, "Yes?" and with that, Molly released her, breathing out an exasperated sigh as she tried to keep her stress levels in check.

After they entered the room and closed the door, Claudia proceeded to sit back on her chair while Molly leaned against the front of her desk, "Well, if you really want to know what happened between me and Arthur, then...I guess I can talk to you about it. It happened when we came back from a checkup..."

_March 31, 2013; 9:38 pm_

"Are you relieved?" Arthur asked as he was driving his car with his wife seated next to him, "Yeah,"

Molly seemed uninterested, and when Arthur noticed this, he couldn't help but try to ask what was wrong, "Are you feeling alright Moll?"

"Just being as calm as I can be, nothing to worry about," her voice trailed off, as she felt tired from her time at the doctor.

Partially assured, Arthur knew that it was times like these when Molly wasn't in the mood for talking, as such, he remained silent and focused on driving.

When they arrived at the parking lot of Molly's apartment building, Arthur offered his hand to help her back to her room, "No thanks hon, I just...I can get back up by myself,"

Feeling worried, Arthur retorted, "Are you sure? I was...kinda hoping to stay overnight with you, just in case anything goes wrong,"

Molly however, was insistent, "You don't need to do that, I'd rather be alone tonight. Today's been...a real drain for me and I just want to go straight to bed and take a good night's sleep,"

"Alright, but can I at least escort you to your room?" Arthur held her hand warmly, trying to get through to her, "Suit yourself, but I must warn you, I might just ask you to carry me along the way,"

Arthur gave out a chortle, "Bridal style? No problem, although I was planning on saving it for the wedding,"

Hearing the word wedding however, triggered something in Molly's mind, prompting discomfort, "Let's just go up hon,"

Hand in hand, the ride in the elevator was quiet, if not awkward. They did not look at one another, save for a glance from Arthur, who was still a worried about his wife.

After getting out and heading for her room, Arthur then decided to speak up, "Molly, what's wrong? I know when you have a problem so just tell me,"

"Nothing's wrong...it's just that I'm really tired right now,"

"I can see that, but what's really bothering you? You seemed out of it since we left from the hospital...actually, you've been out of it since..."

"Since what?"

"A few days after your suspension, but you didn't seem to be, at first. What's really going on Moll?"

Molly stopped walking and paused for a moment to think, she then raised her head and looked up at the roof, before sighing in defeat, "I'll tell you when we get inside my room,"

As soon as they were inside, Molly began, "Arthur...I've been thinking about this for a while now, and frankly, from what I've seen of Matilda and Clarice's parents, they're pretty messed up...and I'm not saying this because of what happened...it's just that...when I think back to how they treated each other, I've been afraid that...somehow...someday, we might end up like that,"

Hearing this, Arthur's eyes widened a bit before closing them, understanding what she meant, "No relationship is perfect, I know that, you know that...we've been there a couple of times already,"

"But what if we have a big fight? What if we...have...affairs," her voice trailing off, she found it hard to face the fact that either one of them could end up being unfaithful to the other, "It's not impossible Arthur...we might get into the same boat as everybody else who've lost their marriage, but I'm not saying I don't love you...I'm just afraid," her voice trembled a bit at the last part.

Arthur hesitated to answer back, trying to rationalize any response he could try to convey to his wife without seeming untactful, "Well...I can't say that we never will, there's always that chance, sure we'll fight, that's what couples do, that's what people do, it's natural...but an affair?

I think it's safe to say for me that that notion seems off the wall for us right now, but it _isn't_ impossible, I can accept that...but you really shouldn't think about stuff like that right now. Getting into too much stress isn't going to do your health any good especially at your condition,"

After Arthur finished, Molly just stared at him, and without saying a word she walked past him and sat on her sofa to take off her shoes, with Arthur shortly following, "Arthur...I think I can say that we're just not sure.

We're not certain that things will work out for us, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, yet, but there's always the off chance that something will come along to mess it up, and we won't be able to control it,"

Arthur leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, he remained like that for a few seconds before replying, "There's _no such thing_ as real control...especially in relationships!"

"What if I want you to..." Molly started to ask, causing Arthur to sit upright listen, "What if...I want you to leave me...will you?"

"If it'll make you feel any better then...I will-probably," Arthur wasn't entirely sure with this response, in fact, he wasn't entirely sure about himself anymore at that point.

Hearing his answer, Molly continued, "Then I guess you shouldn't talk so high and mighty about how we'll always be together," her voice had risen a bit, which Arthur noted, "I didn't mean it that way...I'll only leave...if it'll give you enough time and space to think, only then...will we be sure," and with that he stood up and slowly headed for the door.

Fearing that she had made another mistake, she quickly called out to him, "Arthur wait,"

He stopped and slowly turned around, with Molly walking up to him and taking his hand in hers, "I'm sorry...I'm just not sure that...we'll be able to handle it when the time comes for us to go through those problems. We always fight, mostly because of me.

I don't deny that I've always been unfair to you, and I'm sorry. I'm always violent, cranky, insensitive, and inconsiderate, and it'd be pretty hypocritical of me to say that a potential infidelity won't affect me, Rattles can attest to that,"

Arthur lowered his gaze to the floor, "Me neither, I might get mad, but it still won't stop me from loving you...and about us always fighting, that is so, so true," a small chuckle escaped him, as he remembered that Molly punched him a week ago over trying to fulfill their marital duties...in bed,

"You didn't really need to hit so hard,"

"I wasn't in the mood at that time, and you were being persistent," she turned around to walk back to the sofa, "But you hit me too sometimes, although they tend to be more like slaps,"

"Sometimes?"

"Okay, before I got pregnant, but I deserved it,"

Arthur mused to himself, before his eyes widened as a memory dawned on him, "Well, if I remember correctly, the last time I hit you was because you accidentally spilled Mountain Dew on a composition I made...which took me three weeks to develop,"

"Was it that serious?"

"It was a big spill,"

_Present_

"That's it?" Claudia asked bewilderingly, finding it slightly hard to believe that they could have resolved their conversation like that.

"Yeah, sort of, after that Arthur decided to try and give me time to myself, so he left...and I'm still thinking about what we were talking about,"

"But you guys are okay right?"

"I guess so...and I'm really hoping to keep it that way...somehow," standing up straight, Molly was ready to get back to work when Claudia stopped her, "I hate to be a little negative here boss but you might bite off more than you can chew in the long run, marital problems aren't really that far behind in the race,"

Molly crossed her arms at her secretary, "You're one to talk, you don't seem to be having any with Etienne,"

...

"Etienne's my _second_ husband Molly," Claudia said flatly, before going back to sorting folders, quite offended by what the other woman said.

Molly's arms fell as she took in Claudia's words, "I...I didn't-"

"Let's just get back to work boss, we're burning daylight,"


	21. Chapter 21

_April 19 2013, 10:30 pm, Molly's apartment_

"You want me to _what_?" Arthur asked flatly, utterly flabbergasted by what his wife had just requested of him,

"Enter with me in the annual Elwood City drag show," Molly answered without looking away from her iPhone,

"Isn't the drag show your thing? I mean you've been entering it for like 4 years. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against it but..."

"Come on, it'll be fun! I'll be your drag king, and you'll be my drag queen," Molly smiled as she imagined the scenario between them,

"Absolutely not! I will not degrade myself by dressing in women's clothing, I remember the last time I did it and trust me, D.W. still won't let me live it down today," Arthur stated dejectedly,

"Come on, please?" Molly pleaded as she bent her head back with a plaintive expression,

"What will it take for me to convince you otherwise?" Arthur countered with his own plea,

"Nothing, I'm considered a regular there, and I can't back down for the sake of my reputation,"

"Molly you're pregnant, and you're already near your second trimester, how do you expect to be in drag with a bulge that size," Arthur said as he pointed out her engorged tummy,

"I'll just try to be one of those big burly males, I've always wanted to play them, plus I have a friend who can set me in the perfect get-up,"

"I still won't go. Besides, with my body build how can I even go through with it?" Arthur said vehemently,

Taking this into consideration, Molly carefully examined her husband's body, and saw that at hindsight, he wasn't really that well developed, "Hm, you could be wrong in that department honey, you're thin enough, and you have the face for it, we're just going to have to get rid of the glasses,"

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying? I said I won't do it!" Arthur repeated angrily,

_April 20, 2013, 7:10 am_

"I can't believe I'm doing this, please just kill me now and end my suffering" Arthur said in a deadpan manner, mentally slapping himself for having reluctantly agreed to his wife's demands,

"No can do babe, now act natural or everybody will be put off by you," Molly said as she helped adjust the hair band on his wig,

"Honey please, if there is anything that I can do to make you reconsider, I'll take it, just don't make me do this," Arthur sounded desperate now, causing Molly to pause for a moment in thought, only to shortly respond with, "Anything? Then be my drag queen,"

"That's not what I meant-oh forget it! Fine! Have it your way, but I won't enjoy this one bit, you hear me!?"

"Oh I hear ya! Now, let's check ourselves for any last minute adjustments,"

Using the full-body mirror in the tent one of Molly's friends lent them, they examined one another closely.

Arthur was wearing a yellow blouse with red highlights at the bottom portions, white trousers, and white laced sandals. While Molly was wearing a black suit over a white shirt, black trousers, and black leather shoes, with her hair neatly bundled under a black fedora.

Molly was a natural at cross-dressing, and she was able to at least make her pregnancy look like a paunch thanks to the extra padding she was given, while Arthur was unexpectedly a natural in his own right.

Replacing his glasses with contacts, wearing a wavy brunette wig, and finally with just the right dash of makeup, he actually made for a legitimately attractive woman.

"You know, seeing you right now, people might accuse me of being a dyke," Molly said playfully at him, which did nothing to lift her husband's mood, "I hope you're not getting ahead of yourself, otherwise I would have left for Jersey right about now,"

Molly placed a hand on his shoulder, "Look, this is only for one day, and the real reason I wanted you to come along was because...all those years of being here felt kind of lonely, so I'm giving you a chance to experience one of my guilty pleasures,"

Arthur couldn't help but grin at his wife at that remark, "Well isn't that suggestive, don't tell me this gig actually turns you on?"

"Maybe, maybe not, but just give it a chance hon, who knows, you might get hooked yourself,"

"Please don't say that to me, just...don't!" Arthur begged at her before burying his face in his hands, and without any further arguments, both proceeded outside where the event was being held at town square.

The couple were walking arm in arm surveying the area and saw that there were many other cross-dressers aside from them, some as couples while others single or as groups.

One in particular that Molly recognized as her regular clique; all of which consisted of drag kings, "Guys!"

Noticing her quickly, they all greeted in delighted unison, "Molly!" followed by all of them exchanging hugs and handshakes.

The tallest out of them; a fox, was the first to speak, "It's been a while Moll, so what have you been doing lately?" she was wearing an unzipped dark brown jacket under a white t-shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a white cowboy hat, with her hair arranged into a ponytail, with some facial hair to authenticate her appearance,

"Been doing great Peggy, looking good by the way,"

"So who's the chick?" Peggy asked after noticing Arthur before giving him a wink, which made him feel uneasy,

"Girls, allow me to introduce to you my husband Arthur," she stated proudly while pushing him forward with both hands on his shoulders.

This caused some of the group to gasp in surprise, "Wow Molly...we didn't expect you to...well we always thought that you'd be..."

Molly waved a hand at them, "Yeah I get it, you all thought I was a dyke, let's just go straight through the intros without the drama okay?"

Peggy just shrugged while grabbing Arthur by the arm and tearing him away from Molly's grip, catching the latter by surprise, "So...you doing anything tonight baby?" she asked while caressing his chin.

Towering over him by her forehead, Arthur felt somewhat intimidated, "I-I-I...uh, well I-I like your hat," Arthur stuttered before grinning awkwardly, a reaction which caused Peggy, along with most of the group, sans Molly, to break into laughter.

"Well isn't he adorable, Molly you _have_ to let me borrow him later," Peggy said while pinching his chin,

"No can do Peg, he's my woman and we already have an arrangement tonight," Molly said while she grabbed him by the other arm,

Arthur raised an eyebrow "We do?"

Molly winked at him before continuing, "Now quit hogging him or else,"

Without another word Peggy obeyed and released Arthur from her grip. Sensing that the show was about to start, she motioned for everyone to move along, "Let's get going guys, we can cover more ground a lot faster,"

_Minutes later..._

The show went off like it normally did every year, with the participants flaunting their stuff at the audience which consisted of bystanders interested enough to watch. There were even vans and buses ready to tour other nearby states.

This got Arthur into thinking, "_How could Molly even like doing this? It's so...vulgar,_"

His arms firmly around Molly's, he decided to restrict himself to just observing rather than voluntarily participating to spare himself from even more humiliation.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his shoulder, "So, what do you think?" it was Peggy, "This your first time right? Pretty crazy, huh?"

Indeed it was, most of the drag queens were wearing overly flamboyant attire with bright colors, over the top makeup, and with the enthusiasm to match. The drag kings on the other hand, were more masculine, some of them pairing with their counterparts to put on more of a show.

"I uh, I gotta admit this is...really something," Arthur tried his best to be as composed as possible, but it was getting difficult the more he was being exposed,

"Come on Arthur, smile and wave some, you're not going to die from it," Molly whispered encouragingly to him.

"Are you kidding, what if somebody recognizes me?" Arthur whispered back, "Look, these are just random people, and the chances for anyone we know to even see us would be a hundred to one. So relax and start strutting," Molly assured him, which did little, if anything, to secure Arthur's dignity.

Reluctantly however, he conceded after Molly nudged at him, and after looking around one last time for anyone that he might know, he started waving at citizens who were either passing by, or stayed to watch, with a thin smile on his face no less.

Minutes turned into hours as the couple hitched a ride into Peggy's van along with the rest of the group. With the windows open, they continued to entertain the steadily growing crowd as they cruised at a moderate speed.

Arthur was at the back, quietly keeping to himself while Molly was riding shotgun with Peg, "_Huh, I guess this isn't so bad. Molly seems to be having fun, and judging from all of the stuff she's been going through last month, I guess she deserves it,_" he then glanced outside the window to watch the moving scenery, until he caught a glimpse of,

"_Francine_?" he leaned on the window and tried to catch sight of her more clearly in the crowd, but she quickly disappeared.

Leaning back into his seat, he pondered on what Francine could be doing back in Elwood, "_Isn't she supposed to be in Greece?_"

Lost in thought, he didn't hear Molly call to him from the front, "Arthur, we're gonna grab a bite to eat, do you want anything...Arthur?"

Snapping back into attention, he hesitated before answering, "What Molly?"

"We're gonna go to the Chickin' Lickin', do you want me to get you anything? I'll be the one buying,"

"Uh, just my usual Moll,"

When they stopped by at the restaurant, Molly left a warning before she got out of the car, "Alright, I don't want any of you guys to even _think_ of touching Arthur while I'm away. If I see even a lock of his wig overturned you'll be taking more than a drumstick up your mouths,"

The girls replied with a mix of suppressed chortling, to knowing glances, "We'll behave Molly, just get us some grub," Tatiana; the only other rabbit in the group, said mischievously.

Still unsure, Molly left the car and headed straight for the establishment, leaving a (defenseless) Arthur at the mercy of five, lively women.

"So Arthur, what have you and Molly been up to?" Gloria; a mouse, asked the aardvark,

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked in return,

"We know Molly's pregnant, she couldn't have possibly added all of that padding in if she didn't have any other reason," Tabitha, a cat, who looked back at him as she was kneeling on her seat,

"It's not really that big of a deal, I mean we've gone to the doctor and everything, and we're pretty much okay with how things are going with the baby," Arthur said calmly, afraid that if he snapped, any of the girls would lash right at him without a moment's notice,

"So I guess you both are living a life of marital bliss?" Mary, the last member, who was a dalmatian, asked as she texted on her cellphone,

"Not really...we're just like any other normal couple out there, with ups and downs,"

"Say Arthur, aren't you the guy I saw with Molly last year?" Peggy said as she looked at the rear view mirror, "You know, you look an awful lot like that guy with the glasses...wait a minute, it _is_ you!"

"Seriously Peg? That nerd that Molly was talking to while we were doing that medieval theme?" Tabitha asked as she sat back properly,

"Yeah, that was you?" Peg continued as she turned to look at Arthur, who simply nodded in confirmation,

"Yeah, that was me, although I never really thought in a million years that I'd get to join in on a festivity like this,"

Understanding what he meant, Tatiana spoke up, "Yeah, it was pretty freaky for me too the first time. I was never really a tomboy before, but after I slipped on the pants, I got hooked,"

"Almost all of us have been there Arthur," Peggy said while tapping on the steering wheel.

"So you guys...you're not..."

"NO!" all the girls said in unison, "We're not gay Arthur, some of the other groups, maybe, but not us. I have a boyfriend in Boston right now,"

"Me too," Tabitha said while presenting her ring, "Oh and Arthur, for getting Molly pregnant, we're gonna have to give you a _big_ congratulations,"

"Okay...I hope this isn't some kind of trick," Arthur said while he cautiously shifted his eyes at each of them,

"No trick, just a simple gesture of goodwill for having taken care of a good friend of ours," Peggy stated, followed by some of the girls nodding in agreement.

Still being careful, Arthur slowly drew in closer from the back seat and was about to hold out his hand when suddenly Tabitha grabbed his head and kissed him.

Greatly shocked, he tried pulling away as fast as he could, only to be pounced on by Tatiana, who barraged him with a flurry of kisses, shortly followed by Gloria.

Arthur's train of thought while all of this was happening was, "_NOT GOOD_! _NOT GOOD_! _NOT GOOD_!"

_Minutes later..._

Molly had returned to the van, with each hand full of plastic bags filled with all of the group's orders. As she entered the vehicle and sat back onto her seat, "Okay guys, I'm back, make room because I'm gonna be handing out...some..." she stopped midway when she saw Arthur, who was lying back, apparently dazed, with his appearance unkempt and worse for wear, "Molly, I-I can explain, there was...a-"

"What did I say girls? What exactly did I warn you about what _not_ to do while I was gone," Molly said calmly,

"Sorry Moll, but we just couldn't resist," Peg said while licking her lips, obviously having joined in on the fun herself,

"(Sigh) Well fuck it, anyway here's the food. Arthur, I got you your usual, Crunchy Chicken Lickin Sandwich with Cool Pinata Sauce," Molly said as she was about to pass it to him, only for him to hold a hand up in refusal.

"I'll eat it later Molly, I just need some time to come to terms with the fact that 5 women in drag just non-sexually violated me without my consent. Which would sound really weird if I wasn't wearing a blouse,"

"Suit yourself...and for the record that does sound weird,"

* * *

**After all of the drama I put these two through, I thought it best to just give them a break. Oh, and the part about Francine being back in Elwood, just wait and see where I'm going with that, okay? TY and R&R**


	22. Chapter 22

_March 4, 2013, Saturday_

"You're meeting up with Francine today?"

Molly and Arthur were at the latter's table eating breakfast, "Yeah, I called her a few days ago after the drag show. Says she wants to do some catching up,"

"So what's she doing back at Elwood?" Molly asked before taking a bite out of her toast,

"She's just visiting, taking a break from her job as a soccer coach," Arthur said while reading his newspaper,

"Can I come?"

"Sure why not, she even said I could bring anyone I like, the more the merrier,"

After breakfast, the two went into Arthur's bedroom, where the couple were changing from their pajamas to civies,

"So where are you guys gonna meet up?" Molly was fitting into her trousers,

"At the park," Arthur said as he opened his closet,

"Did she say anything about how she's doing?" she asked while buttoning up a navy blue shirt,

"She's okay, living life while doing what she wants, you know, just being herself,"

Molly folded up her sleeves as she kept going "She always was a sports nut, were you ever that in to it like her?"

"Into what?" Arthur asked absentmindedly, as he was going through his closet trying to find a belt,

"Sports,"

Finally finding one, he carefully fastened it around his blue jeans, "No...not exactly, on an obsessive level at least, but...it's actually the real reason why we broke up,"

"Really?"

After locking the buckle in place, Arthur took out a folded up t-shirt and continued, "Hm, let me reiterate that. I guess what I'm saying is that I realized Francine just loved her dreams too much to go steady with me, and then came the Olympics,"

"I thought it was _because_ of the Olympics that you guys split,"

"It...wasn't really the whole truth, you see...a week before she got the invitation, I was already planning on breaking up with her,"

...

"Did you...think about it?" she said in a low voice,

Arthur stopped as he was about to spray some cologne on himself. He then turned to stare at Molly,

"I did...almost everyday, then two days before it I called her, told her to meet up with me so we could talk,"

"How did she take it?"

"Rather well actually, but not at first...to say that it wasn't easy would be a general summation of how it went,"

"But no hard feelings right?"

"We kinda laughed it off after the drama, resolved that we'd still be friends,"

"That's good to hear, but I bet it's still gonna be awkward, I mean you two haven't seen each other in 5 years,"

"But we kept in touch, e-mails, phone calls, the works, and the best part is that she already has a boyfriend,"

"She told you that?"

"As hard as it is to believe, yes, she told me!" he chuckled a little as he sat next to her to tie his shoes,

"So I guess it wasn't classified info then?"

"To be honest, I had to sweet talk her into telling me, but you know how it is,"

"Well somebody sounds happy, are you sure you guys are just going to spend the day together to catch up?" Molly sounded slightly suspicious, which Arthur noticed as he stood up, "Relax, nothing peculiar here, just two friends taking a trip down memory lane and wondering why we broke off such a sweet, beautiful relationship," Arthur was caught off guard by a pillow Molly threw at him, which he threw back at her.

_At the park_

Francine was sitting on a bench, busying herself on her iPhone while waiting patiently for Arthur to come and meet her.

Every now and then she'd glance at other people who were also there, going about on their own and enjoying what the morning had to give.

Pressing the button on her phone, she inserted it back into her pocket and became lost in thought, "_Not a lot has changed around here, still how I left it...God I miss this place, makes me wanna just move back and live the rest of my days here...and Arthur, hope he's doing better than I am,_"

Francine bobbed her head up and down, trying to keep herself active as Muffy had a party last night thus she didn't get enough sleep.

"_Let's see, been to mom and dad's, been to Catherine's, all that's left is trying to come up with a surefire way of meeting up with all of my friends without making a big deal about it._

_Damn it, I'm never good at these kinds of things, why is it that whenever I try to talk on a personal level, my brain runs on low and I can't even say the right things. (Sigh) Deke hasn't replied to any of my messages yet, guess he's busy,_"

Francine tapped her right foot on the pavement, growing impatient as she looked up at the sky and breathed in deeply before exhaling. She closed her eyes, hoping to try and forget about...

"Francine!"

Hearing her name, her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight. Quickly looking around, she spotted two figures walking slowly towards her.

One of them was definitely Arthur, while the other was a bit harder to recognize. She narrowed her eyes at the second who was behind him.

When it finally hit her, she was a bit surprised realizing that it was Molly, "_Great, now I can have something to distract me,_"

When the couple arrived, she hugged both of them in greeting, "You guys, it's so good to see you!"

"Likewise Francine, so how have you been?" Arthur asked as they broke away from their embrace.

Francine just crossed her arms at the question, "Oh...you know, I've-I've been great, just great...you?"

Feeling a bit awkward at her reply, he answered nonetheless, "I've been...great too...any particular reason why you're so nervous all of a sudden?"

Francine's eyes widened a bit, "What? Nervous? Please, I just haven't slept well you know, what with Muffy's friends coming over last night to have a party,"

"Wait, you're staying at Muffy's? Couldn't you have just stayed at your parents? I'm sure they wouldn't have minded" Arthur said while motioning for all three of them to sit,

"I just couldn't do that, I mean, mom and dad are gonna move to Montreal in a few weeks and Muffy insisted that I stay with her for the time that I'm here,"

"Oh, so how's Athens?" Arthur asked, which eased Francine's mood a bit, "It's great, I live in Pefki and most of the time it's just work, work, work, but I get into sightseeing sometimes,"

"What about your job, the team your working with right now?"

…

"They're doing fine, most of the time it's just regular training sessions, but...we're moving along nicely,"

"By the way, uh...I saw your game a month ago, sorry you guys lost," Arthur trailed off as he empathized with Francine, who just wore a thin smile and patted him on the shoulder, "Look, it was just one game, you win some, you lose some, nothing to be down about,"

"Yeah," Arthur smiled back, and he nudged Molly to get in on the conversation,

"So Francine, I hear you have a boyfriend,"

"Yeah I do,"

"What's his name?" Arthur asked,

"Deke Makris, he's a graphics artist in the neighborhood I live in, that's how we met,"

"What's he like?" Molly asked,

"He's okay, a little eccentric, but a pretty cool guy once you get to know him," Francine fiddled inside the pockets of her jacket while staring into space, leaving Molly to ask another question, "So how are you at work, any trouble?"

…

"It's fine...say are you guys hungry? I'm getting a nasty craving for some pizza," Francine said as she stood up from the bench, followed by Arthur and Molly.

While they were walking around to find someplace to eat, Arthur couldn't help but take note of Francine's odd behavior,

"_(Sigh) First Buster now Francine, it's like most of my friends have problems these days...oh wait that's right, this is _real life_,_"


	23. Chapter 23

"So what's new Francine?" Arthur said after swallowing a mouthful of pizza,

"Huh?" a thick string of mozzarella oozed out of her lips as she looked up at Arthur, only for her to quickly catch it with her free hand and push the rest into her mouth,

"What's new with you? You know, about your life?" Arthur rephrased,

Francine stared at him for a few seconds in hesitation, before looking down and taking another bite out of her pizza, "Like I told you, it's just the usual, waking up in the morning, getting ready for work, train, practice. After that, if I'm free I get to blow off some steam with friends, and then finally drop dead on my bed. Then I get to do the whole thing all over again, not much excitement there eh?"

It was Arthur's turn to stare at his friend, trying to look for any small hint of discomfort, he resumed the conversation shortly "Doesn't it get boring?"

"It does, which is why I'm here to try and check out the place and see what I've been missing,"

"I see...say Francine, tell me more about Deke, what's he like and how did you guys meet?" Arthur asked calmly, which earned him a glance from Molly, who was sitting next to him while propping her head up with her arm on the table, having already finished her share; her bangs too obscuring for him to even notice,

"Well...it all started about a few years ago when the team and I wanted a banner, and so we tried to get someone to design one for us, and wouldn't you know it I was living a few blocks away from the guy who could do it. I went to his place, talked about what I wanted for him to do and that's it,"

"That's it?" Molly asked,

"Yeah, why what's wrong?" Francine asked, a bit bemused,

"That's a pretty plain love story," Arthur added,

Francine raised an eyebrow, "Look, not everyone gets the Romeo and Juliet treatment okay? It's not like you guys were any more epic,"

Arthur and Molly just glanced at each other before replying in unison, "Oh really?"

"So then what Francine? How did you guys hit it off?" Molly questioned further, while the other woman was still in the midst of chewing, "Um...it just happened on its own, we asked each other out a couple of times, and things just clicked,"

Francine took a sip from her iced tea before resuming with eating. Arthur could only watch as he was sure that something was bothering her, "Francine, is there something that you're not telling us, I mean you've been awfully distant ever since we started this conversation,"

"What do you mean?" Francine asked without looking up,

"You may not seem like it, but we know that's something's bothering you," Molly said,

This made Francine look up and exchange looks with both of them, which only heightened their suspicions even more, "Nothing's bothering me guys, I'm just having a hard time taking in so much of home now that I'm back...seeing you guys again just made things a bit awkward,"

"Oh is that all? Well sorry for trying to pry into your private life," Molly mused as she stood up from the table, "I'm just gonna freshen up in the restroom, be right back,"

"Sure thing hon," Arthur said with a hand wave,

When Molly disappeared inside, Francine proceeded to ask a few questions of her own, "So Arthur, how are you and Molly doing? Heard you two just got married several weeks ago,"

"Yeah, well we're just starting out and well...seeing as how me and Molly still don't really have a place to call our own and being busy with our respective jobs...not to mention the baby-"

"Wait, hold up! Baby? Molly's pregnant!?" Francine asked in shock after almost choking,

...

"Um...yes, I thought you already noticed that, like, the moment we met up with you?"

"Well apparently I _didn't_ notice, so how long is she due for?"

"We're not sure yet, but considering that she's already in the second trimester, I'd have to say she's at 5 months at least,"

"Damn, and here I thought she just got fat,"

"Who got fat?" a voice from behind Arthur sounded, as Molly had just emerged from the restaurant to sit back at her seat,

"That was quick, forgot to powder your nose?" Arthur asked before taking a sip of his pepsi,

"Funny...say Francine, what was that I heard you saying that I'm fat?" Molly asked with a soft, yet almost threatening tone, causing Francine to swallow a lump on her throat, "Sorry about that Moll, uh, congratulations!" she held out a hand towards the rabbit, which the latter accepted after a slight hesitation.

"Okay, since everyone's had their fill already, where should we go next?" Arthur said with a clap of his hands, hoping to cut through the budding tension,

"Why don't we go to the roller rink?" Francine suggested,

"The rink? You sure about that? I mean we just ate a large Meat Volcano with stuffed crusts" Molly asked while gently rubbing her stomach, "And in case you guys forgot,"

"Oops, sorry Moll, um, okay, uh...oh! Let's go to the movies, I hear they're showing Murder Hall!"

"A horror movie? Seriously Francine?" Arthur raised an eyebrow,

"Look, when was the last time you guys saw a good horror, besides I heard it's great!"

"Yeah, if you're into that kind of stuff," Molly said,

"Come on!" Francine pleaded with her hands clenched together,

The couple took another glance at each other before conceding, seeing as how their day was boring enough without Francine.

Getting into Arthur's car, the trio made their way to the old Elwood City theater, which had been renovated back at 2009, considering that the place was getting too old and that it was becoming a bit of a hazard, it was fittingly converted into a Multiplex.

Part of the reason being to make it more appealing to the local townsfolk, but also because the once quaint community of Elwood was slowly growing from development, not to mention the population bump a while back at the start of 2010.

"You guys won't be disappointed with Murder Hall! It's gonna be awesome!" Francine said ecstatically, getting excited of seeing her first American movie in a long time since moving to Athens.

"Yeah, well let's just hope I don't have to go to the hospital in the middle of it all, because I happen to actually _want_ to get through to term," Molly warned, still slightly peeved from Francine's earlier remark.

"Come on Molly, you're a tough gal, besides, I'll be here for you," Arthur reassured her,

"Aw, isn't that sweet...now just keep your eyes on the road honey before we crash into something," Molly said quickly, before taking hold of her husband's hand that was on the gear stick, something that caught Francine's eye.

"_Well...at least they're happy..._" caught up in the small moment, she failed to notice her phone vibrating in her pocket.

* * *

**Sorry it took me this long to update. After going through a temporary bout of insanity that is my life, I finally had the drive to continue. Please enjoy!**


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